Earthbound
by ELSchaaf
Summary: Pre-series AU beginning on the Ark. What if Clarke and Bellamy met at the Unity Day Dance? How might that (and a few other differences) change things?
1. Chapter 1

She was curled up in the corner of the couch, humming to herself, as she drew yet another waterfall glowing in the moonlight. With every fiber of her being, Clarke ached to see those images in reality, but she knew that would never happen. It would be another three generations before the earth was survivable again. She would be long gone by then.

The door to the executive common area that the families of the council members shared slid open and Clarke looked up to see Wells enter the room.

"I thought we weren't meeting up until later," she reminded him.

"We weren't," Wells said as he sat down beside her and handed her a package, "But I got you something and I wanted to watch you open it."

"It's not my birthday, though," Clarke said practically.

Wells held out the package and responded, "Here. I don't care if it's your birthday or not. I just wanted you to have this."

She took the package curiously, holding it, squeezing it, shaking it before she looked at Wells with a raised brow and a grin, "More art supplies?"

"Open it," he smiled, "You'll find out soon enough."

With excited anticipation, she ripped into the package and saw that he'd gotten her a set of books about Earth along with some drafting pens.

"So you can make maps," he explained, "I know your dad's been teaching you how."

A squeal of delight escaped her and she hugged him impulsively. "How do you always manage to choose such amazing gifts?"

Pleased with her enthusiasm, Wells shrugged, "Being the chancellor's son definitely helps."

Clarke laughed and shook her head. She looked at the time suddenly and said, "We should go to the Unity Day dance, pretend it's my birthday party."

Skepticism drew Wells's dark, full lips into a frown and he asked with displeasure, "What for? We're the outcasts, remember? The Ark royalty, or so they say. Why would we want to go and open ourselves up to criticism and scorn?"

"Because it's a masquerade, Wells. How's anyone gonna know it's us? Maybe we can actually meet some people who wouldn't mind who we are with our masks off," Clarke replied frankly.

She'd been anticipating this opportunity for some time now. As soon as it was announced that not only would there be the usual Unity Day interpretive performance by the smaller children but also a dance for the youth, Clarke had gotten excited.

Every day in their classes, she heard the whispers from the other kids about her being the Ark's princess with Wells as her prince. How they were too good to socialize with the rest of them or find their way to the less prestigious stations.

It bothered Clarke more than she cared to admit. So when she'd heard about the opportunity to spend time anonymously among her peers, she'd gone into her mother's trunk of treasures, passed down from her mother and her mother's mother, and had found the beautiful antique jester's mask that was leftover from a time long gone. A time when people still lived on earth.

As she'd held it up to her face and looked at herself in the mirror, a hopeful smile had pulled at her lips and she'd decided right then and there that the Unity Day dance was going to be her chance to change things, to meet new people, make new friends.

"I don't care if anyone likes us or not," Wells responded, interrupting her thoughts. "As long as I have you."

Clarke shook her head. "That's not a good philosophy to live by, Wells. Don't be ridiculous. I know you get lonely just like I do."

"Maybe," Wells shrugged, "But that still doesn't mean I want to go to that dance."

"Fine," Clarke responded stubbornly as she rose and put down her art supplies and new books on the small table in front of her, "Stay here. I'll go on my own."

"Clarke, stop," Wells began but Clarke interrupted.

"Can't stop! Got a party to get ready for," she said, facing him, her back to the door, a sly grin on her face, "You coming or not?"

Wells shook his head stubbornly. "I told you. I'm not going."

With a shrug, Clarke turned and waited as the door slid open again, tossing over her shoulder, "Fine by me! I'll fill you in on all my observations tomorrow."

Because that was what she intended to do more than anything. Observe. Observe and interact, but only if the right situation presented itself.

Clarke loved to watch and learn and other than in her classes, she hadn't had nearly enough opportunities to be around other young people. They teased her relentlessly during her studies and she had no idea how to behave around them outside of that environment.

In truth, other than Wells, she either spent her time alone or with the adults of the ark. Not just any adults, either. The ones in leadership.

It was tough in some ways to be the child of the head doctor and the head engineer, both of whom were on the council. Kids tended to believe she'd be likely to turn them in for the tiniest little infraction they might commit. And in some instances they'd be right. So outside of taunting her, the other young people avoided her.

But Clarke was more her father's daughter than many people supposed, and her father had spent many an evening with her discussing the difference between following rules and doing what's right, making sure she knew that the two weren't always the same.

Clarke had witnessed this for herself on more than one occasion. She'd seen a parent floated after taking an extra dinner roll for his still-hungry daughter who had dared to cry after a meal because she was too young to understand the necessity of rations. And she'd seen a small child thrown into lockup when she'd pounded her tiny fists against a guard's stomach while screaming hysterically after watching her parents be executed.

Every "crime" was punishable by death and it made Clarke's stomach turn to think too hard about it. She'd learned about the sanctity of life in her talks with her father and had seen the truth of it in her work as an apprentice to her mother.

Although, at the same time, she'd also learned that her mother didn't necessarily share her father's philosophy. She'd been present when her mother had recorded and reported an illegal pregnancy. The woman had been a seamstress and had somehow managed to deactivate the mandatory birth control implant, or so her mother had said. The seamstress had sworn that it must have somehow simply failed.

Either way, the woman who had been brought in for vertigo and syncope had lost her life the very next day.

Clarke had talked to her father for hours about what had happened afterward, sobbing in his arms about the injustice. In the end, he'd again spoken to her about rules versus the right thing to do and at the same time he'd instilled in her the utopian dream of Earth.

He'd told her that not only had there once been an abundant supply of food, water, and oxygen on Earth but there'd also been no need for such rules as the ones that regulated life on the Ark. He'd said that if everyone had all learned to live together on Earth as we had on the Ark, there never would have been a need for the Ark in the first place. Mankind could have been following their hearts on the ground rather than being exiled in space to follow aggressively rigid rules that often killed the very life the space station so desperately sought to preserve.

As she rummaged through her belongings for the antique jester's mask she'd set aside for herself, Clarke thought about how glad she was for her father's lesson. How much she appreciated that he'd always treated her as an equal, giving her the truth as he saw it rather than trying to shield her from the contradictions that made up much of their existence.

Wells didn't seem to understand or live by the ideology Clarke had adopted from her father. He clung instead to the ideals of his own father, the chancellor.

Chancellor Jaha was a good man, but he was flawed just like everyone else. And he held fast to the rules, the laws that had been implemented generations before when the survivors of the nuclear apocalypse had first found themselves stranded in space.

A shadow clouded Clarke's usually clear blue eyes as she fixed the old-fashioned black and blue sequined mardis gras mask over them and critiqued her appearance in the mirror. Then she sighed as her thoughts once again returned to the chancellor's son.

Wells had been her best friend for as long as she could remember. She knew he loved her and the older they got, the more sure Clarke was that Wells was hoping to someday build that friendship into something more.

She was just as sure, though, that she'd never be able to give that to him. She could never be with someone in that way who so adamantly disagreed with the ideals that had become fundamental to her existence.

After glancing one last time at her image, Clarke took a deep breath, calmed her nerves, and took a determined step toward the door. It was time for her to branch out, prove she wasn't just the princess everyone thought she was. She had a big heart, a sharp mind, and more unshakable tenacity than the most headstrong strategists the ark had ever seen. All she needed was this opportunity to let her sparkling personality shine.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The last year had been increasingly hard on Bellamy Blake. His training for the guard had been stepped up a few notches; it had become nearly impossible to keep Octavia a secret or get her to go along with continuing to hide under the floorboards during inspections; and their mother had been floated before Bellamy had found out what crime she had committed. Once he knew, he became angry with her. She had known better than to allow herself to get pregnant again.

Now the rations for two that had always been split three ways had become rations for one that were being split two ways. Octavia continued to grow and need new clothing but their mother was no longer available to make the necessary items that would be questioned if Bellamy dared request them from someone else.

But Bellamy made do with what he had and he gave Octavia the best life he could. She was all that mattered to him. She was the only thing that had ever mattered. Since the day she'd been born.

From that moment on, Bellamy had given up his friends. He couldn't risk them finding out about his sister, having the council learn of her existence, punishing her for being alive.

He'd brought whatever books he could get his hands on home when he'd been studying so that he could show them to Octavia. Read them to her. Teach her from them. He'd known that she needed an education and he'd done what he could to provide it.

It hadn't been his choice to have a sister but he'd always known that she was his responsibility and no one else's. Their mother had done everything she could to give her children the best she could offer and that had often meant that she spent little time actually with them.

Bellamy didn't know what his mother had done besides sewing to keep them well-informed of all things security-related or to keep them supplied with enough materials and goods to make sure their physical needs were met. He had his suspicions, of course, but he had no desire for them to be confirmed.

All he knew was that she'd left him alone with Octavia and he often felt guilty for being grateful that his mother had been floated before she could leave him with another sibling to take care of as well.

He had no idea who his own father was, let alone who Octavia's father was or who had fathered the fetus whose existence had caused their mother's death. And for the most part, he didn't care. Whoever this man or these men were had abandoned them.

It was because of that as well as all the other bitter little life lessons he'd learned by silently studying the contradiction between his mother's words and her actions that he'd determined that he would never allow himself to need another person again. As long as he had Octavia, he had a purpose and that was good enough for him.

His mother had taught him to be good but what he'd seen from her had skewed the definition of that term. So instead of following the "be a good and responsible boy" motto that she'd drilled into him, he had started to make his own rules. And rule number one was to somehow provide Octavia with the happiness, with the joy of life that he'd never found for himself.

With that thought in mind, he returned to their quarters during the fifteen minute break he'd been given prior to the Unity Day dance and softly called her name as soon as the door had been securely closed behind him.

"Octavia." His voice was both urgent and excited and his smile was genuine when she popped up from beneath the bunk that had so often become her haven.

"What's up, big brother? Why are you here in the middle of your shift?" Octavia asked him curiously.

"I'm here to get you," he answered with a grin, "How would you like to go to the Unity Day dance?"

Octavia's entire countenance lit up and her jaw dropped open. She squealed in delight and bounced up and down, looking at him with the most heartbreakingly hopeful expression he'd ever seen. "Do you really mean it? You'd better not be teasing. But how?"

The words rushed out of her so fast that he knew he'd made the right decision. He rested his hands on her shoulders and said with smug satisfaction, "Come on, O. Do you really think I'd tease you like that? Of course you're going. Everyone will be in masks. No one will know who you are. And I'll be there to keep an eye on you."

Instantaneously, Octavia's arms flew around Bellamy's neck and hugged him in what nearly amounted to a choke-hold. He coughed a bit and she loosened her grip slightly but refused to let him go.

"You are the best big brother ever," she whispered against his ear, "I'm never gonna let you go."

Pleased, Bellamy laughed, a sound that only Octavia ever got to hear. He shook his head and gently disentangled her from his arms, setting her back a little ways before joking, "You're gonna have to let me go if Cinderella is going to make it to her ball."

Immediately, Octavia was looking around the room, trying to find the storage bin with the leftover scraps of material their mother had always kept.

"But Bell, what am I going to use for a mask?"

Bellamy reached into one of the deep pockets of his standard guard uniform pants and pulled out what looked like a mosaic papier mache mask and handed it to her.

"Here you go," he said almost shyly.

She took it from him and looked at the beautiful creation in awe. She was about to ask where it had come from but didn't get the chance.

"Now come on. There's something I want to show you and we're running late already. If I get in trouble and get kicked off the guard, your cover will be blown."

Octavia nodded and slipped the mask into place, trustingly following her brother to the door. When he opened it, he checked the corridor to make sure all was clear and then motioned his head to signal for her to follow him.

It took a few moments for Octavia to work up the courage to leave the only room she'd ever known. But when she did, there was such a sense of freedom that filled her that she nearly pranced after Bellamy, ready to spin herself in giddy circles.

On the way to the social lounge, Bellamy stopped at a viewport and waved a hand toward it, stepping aside so that Octavia could see out.

"Oh my god, Bell!" she breathed, "Everything is so beautiful! How will I ever go back to being cooped up in our quarters again?"

Her words caused Bellamy's heart to skip a panicked beat as he looked around to make sure no one else had heard them. He only saw a single soul, a girl coming toward them wearing a beautifully constructed mask of her own. After calculating her distance with how distracted she appeared, Bellamy relaxed a little and breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way she could have heard. He was sure of it.

The girl passed them, humming a simple tune to herself, looking almost angelic with her wavy blonde locks floating down past her shoulders and halfway down her back. The ridiculous joker's mask she wore brought out the blue in her eyes and for a moment, Bellamy almost found himself mesmerized. But then she disappeared from view and he heard Octavia snicker.

He turned and scowled at her as he grabbed her hand and said brusquely, "Come on, like I said, we're gonna be late."


	2. Chapter 2

The social lounge was filled with wall to wall teenagers dancing, laughing, and having the time of their lives. The atmosphere on the Ark had never been quite so joyous or relaxed.

Clarke couldn't keep the grin off her face as she watched everything going on around her. She stood near the entrance, clapping and bouncing on the balls of her feet, mask firmly in place when someone bumped her shoulder. She glanced in that direction, expecting to see another party-goer and was prepared to graciously accept some sort of apology for the jostling but what she saw instead was the guard cadet she'd passed in the corridor.

With a slight frown, Clarke tapped the young man on the shoulder and said, her indignation barely restrained, "Excuse me. I don't know if you realize this but you just bumped into me."

The youthful guard quirked a brow at her for a brief moment before watching the crowd again. Without looking at her, he said dismissively, "There are people everywhere. Everyone's bound to get nudged at least a few times."

"But don't you think the tiniest apology might be in order if you are aware that you practically bulldozed someone?" Clarke demanded, refusing to let the matter go.

"Bulldozed?" Now it was both eyebrows that shot up. "You seriously just escalated a shoulder bump into being bulldozed? Someone needs to practice her synonyms."

Blue eyes narrowed to slits, glaring at the guard through the mask that made the action appear that much more intense.

"I'll have you know - "

Her words were cut off, though. The dance had barely begun and the klaxon was going off to indicate that everyone must immediately be accounted for, which meant having their ship ID out and taking their masks off as well.

Clarke pulled out her ID to show to the guard beside her, the one she'd just been arguing with, hoping she could somehow get away with keeping her mask on. She didn't want him or anyone else to find out who she was.

But he was distracted. He wasn't paying any attention to her ID, let alone whether or not she was still wearing her mask. Instead, he was scanning the crowd, looking panicked.

"Who are you looking for?" Clarke asked curiously.

He looked startled when he glanced at her, as if he'd forgotten she was there. And there was something else behind his eyes. Something she certainly hadn't expected to see. There was fear. A deep, soul-searing, mind-numbing panic that had clearly frozen him in place.

The sight caught at Clarke's natural empathy for others and made her think of her purpose for being there. She'd told Wells that she was hoping to make some new friends. If anyone had ever needed a friend more than her, she thought, it was clearly the distraught cadet standing beside her.

Without realizing what she was truly saying, she caught his gaze and said with calm certainty, "I can help you. Just tell me who we're looking for."

After a moment's hesitation during which he saw more and more guards flooding to the area for the security check, Bellamy finally gave a curt nod and answered in a deep voice that was almost inaudible, "My sister."

Now it was Clarke's turn to look shocked. But there was no time to ask questions. She saw the moment he found his sister in the crowd and she noticed the slicked back lieutenant of the guard that was approaching her.

Immediately, Clarke ripped the mask from her face and in less than ten steps had put herself between the guard and the cadet's sister.

"There you are!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the girl's arm and spoke to her in the most girly, carefree manner she could muster, "You know you left your ID in my quarters when we were getting ready, right?"

Wide, grey eyes stared back at her in terror, mouth gaping open before she was able to recover herself and nod. "Um...yeah. You're right...I meant to grab it but…"

Clarke grinned and linked their arms, turning to the lieutenant, handing him her ID.

"Clarke Griffin. My mom is chief medical. My dad is chief engineer. They're both on the council. You can check with them to verify if you need to."

After checking Clarke's ID and handing it back to her, the guard dismissed them and Clarke hurried with the other girl back to the corner where she'd last seen the cadet.

Bellamy had seen the whole encounter and heard bits and pieces of it on his radio. He was stunned. As soon as the girl, Clarke, and his sister approached, he ushered them out the door and down the corridor. None of them spoke until they reached the quarters he shared with Octavia.

Once the door was sealed shut behind them, Clarke turned and asked Bellamy directly, "You have a sister?"

He took a few deep breaths to calm his heart rate, then sighed before nodding in resignation and defeat.

"But...how?" Clarke questioned softly, meaning it to be a rhetorical question.

"How do you think?" Bellamy asked, his voice raspy, his tone irritated. "Your mom's a doctor, right? I'm sure she's taught you how things work."

Flustered, Clarke's eyes sharpened, then narrowed. "Of course. But everyone's supposed to have an implant. Birth control is essential for population control."

"You sound just like them," Bellamy spat bitterly.

"Stop!" Octavia cried out, "Just stop, ok?" She turned to her brother and said earnestly, "Bell, she helped us. She helped us when she didn't have to. Do you want her to change her mind and turn us in?"

Bellamy looked hesitant, almost apologetic until Clarke broke in to say, "I'm not going to turn you in. I'm just trying to understand. She did have an implant, didn't she?"

"It malfunctioned," Bellamy responded bitterly, "Twice. The second time they found out and she got floated."

Blinking, Clarke processed this information slowly. When all the pieces slid into place, her mouth dropped open in horror.

"My mom. My mom recorded the test results. She reported them to the council. It's her fault your mom was floated."

Octavia looked back and forth between her brother and the girl who had saved them, watching as they stared each other down until, finally, Clarke spoke again.

"I'm sorry. We should have done more tests, checked the functionality of her implant. My mom should have done more to keep your mom alive."

"You're doing something to keep us alive now," Octavia stated while Bellamy remained silent. She stepped between her brother and the girl so she could hold her hand out to their new friend. "I'm Octavia. My brother's Bellamy."

Taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly, Clarke smiled and responded, "Clarke. Clarke Griffin. It's nice to meet you."

"O, we're in serious trouble here if she turns us in," Bellamy stressed, brown eyes intense as they searched his sister's.

"I'm not going to turn you in," Clarke responded, not giving Octavia a chance to say anything else. "I can help. I want to help." She paused for a moment before adding softly, "Please. Let me help."

It was then that Bellamy's eyes finally met Clarke's and held them. It was then that he nodded slowly, responding to her as he had in the social lounge.

"Ok. You can help. But how do you propose that you do that?"

"I can bring extra rations, clothes, whatever you need," Clarke answered.

"You can really do that?" Octavia asked incredulously.

Clarke nodded. "That and probably more."

"And what do you want in return?" Bellamy asked skeptically.

"Nothing," Clarke responded with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, right," Bellamy scoffed. "There's no such thing as something for nothing."

"All right, then," Clarke said with just a moment of thought, "Friendship. Respect. Think you can do that?" she challenged.

Bellamy blinked, wondering scornfully if this girl was for real. But then he saw Octavia's pleading eyes and he gave in immediately.

"Fine. Octavia needs a friend anyway."

"What about you?" Clarke prompted.

Octavia again begged her brother with a glance but this time his only response was a noncommittal, "We'll see."

"Good enough," Clarke answered with a small, satisfied smile.

Later, when she was back in her own quarters, Clarke mentally reviewed everything that had happened and found herself wishing she could tell Wells about it. She knew she couldn't, though. Wells was far too committed to the rules. He'd tell his father about Bellamy and Octavia for sure. And then for all she knew, all three of them - herself included - would find themselves floated, or in lock-up if they were lucky.

Clarke shook her head and cleared her mind of thoughts of Wells although not before wondering if she might not eventually be trading a lifelong friend for two new friends, one of whom didn't even like her.

A frown drew her brows together and pulled her lips downward. Bellamy. He was an enigma to her. All stoic and serious. But the sheer terror on his face when he thought that Octavia was about to be found out spoke of something more. He was devoted to his sister in a way that Clarke had never seen, never experienced before...except maybe with Wells.

Wells tried to protect her, gave her things she wouldn't normally have been able to obtain, and did so just because he knew it would make her happy. Was her relationship with Wells what having a brother would be like?

She'd often wondered about the time in humanity's history when such strict population control hadn't been necessary. Would she still have been an only child? Would her parents have wanted a second baby?

Somehow, Clarke couldn't really see herself as an older sister to anyone. For that matter, she wasn't sure she ever wanted to be a mother, either. What she did know, though, was that Bellamy had made her think that having an older sibling might not have been half bad.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

On a completely different station, Bellamy and Octavia were having an argument about Clarke's involvement in their lives.

Octavia was ecstatic that there was someone near her age who knew of her existence. She voiced enthusiastically her desire to get to know Clarke and spend time with her. She also wouldn't shut up about how amazing Clarke had been when she'd saved her from being exposed by the guard at the party. As far as Octavia was concerned, Clarke had become her hero. A sentiment that Bellamy was anything but pleased with.

"What makes you think she's actually going to keep her word?" Bellamy asked, arms crossed stubbornly over his chest as he narrowed his stern gaze at his younger sister.

"Because she said she would," Octavia responded defiantly, "What reason would she have for making promises like that if she didn't intend to follow through?"

Bellamy knew that what he was about to say was going to hurt but he had to point out the obvious. It was his duty to be blunt and rational. Octavia had no idea what she was talking about and being idealistic would never get her anywhere.

"Mom made promises, O. Did she follow through?"

Just as he'd expected, Octavia's face fell and she wrapped her arms around her middle in a self-comforting gesture.

"That's not the same thing," she protested weakly.

"It is and you know it," Bellamy insisted. "We don't know if we can trust her and we sure as hell don't know if we can count on her. So plan on things continuing on the same way they have been. Then if she shows up, you can be pleasantly surprised instead of being disappointed when she stays away and protects herself instead of helping us."

Not wanting to fight anymore, Octavia acquiesced, "Fine. But when she does show up, I'm so gonna say I told you so."

Bellamy chuckled softly and pulled Octavia into a warm hug, murmuring against her hair, "I'm glad you didn't get caught tonight, O. And I'm just as glad that you finally got to have a little fun."

Octavia pulled back so she could look up at him with a grin, "Me too. If it weren't for that guard, I'd be begging to sneak out all the time now."

Laughing and pulling her in again briefly, Bellamy shook his head and said, "You'll be the death of me yet, kid."


	3. Chapter 3

Several weeks into their new arrangement, Bellamy came back from his duty shift to find Clarke and Octavia lying on their stomachs on the bed, facing each other, apparently giggling over everything and nothing at all.

He smiled at them after swinging the door shut and asked with soft amusement in his deep voice, "What's going on in here? Something entertaining I should know about?"

"Nothing you'd be interested in, Bell," Octavia informed him boldly, then teased, "At least, not unless you're interested in our ratings of the most attractive guys on the Ark."

"Oh god," Bellamy chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled out a chair and took a seat at the small table in the kitchen area of the one-room apartment.

Clarke grinned at his response and changed the subject, studying him intently as she asked, "How was your day?"

His gaze moved to hers and closed off some as he shrugged, "Same as always I guess."

"Do you ever look at the bright side of anything?" Clarke asked curiously.

Her interested eyes were locked onto his face and he quickly became uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, saying firmly, "No," before looking down at the table and away.

Octavia rolled her eyes and sat up, bumping Clarke's arm as she said in a teasing stage whisper, "Ignore him. He's just a grump because he doesn't have a friend to call his own."

"O," Bellamy groaned in warning but before he could say anything more, Clarke had hopped off the bed and headed to the door.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Octavia," she said, giving Bellamy a shy smile as she passed him, "See ya, Bell."

"Later, Clarke," Bellamy answered.

Once she was gone, Octavia moved to Bellamy's side and punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey!" he protested, "What was that for?"

"That was for making Clarke uncomfortable. I wasn't ready for her to go yet," Octavia responded.

"Sorry," Bellamy mumbled. He was quiet a few moments before he said, "She makes me uncomfortable, too. I'm still not sure we can trust her, O."

"We can trust her, Bell," Octavia insisted, "We can. I know we can."

Bellamy sighed and changed the subject, "There's supposed to be an inspection sometime in the next couple days. Be extra careful, ok?"

"Yeah, ok," Octavia shrugged, moving to the sink to wash her hands as she asked over her shoulder, "What do you want for dinner?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Clarke," Wells called softly to her when he saw her cross in front of the entry to the executive lounge.

She paused and looked inside, seeing him there as if he were waiting for her.

"What's going on, Wells? Shouldn't you be having dinner with your family?" she asked as she entered the lounge and moved toward him.

Wells shook his head and answered, "The council is meeting."

"What?" Clarke's brow furrowed in surprise as she sat down next to him, "But I thought they weren't due to meet again for another two weeks."

"They weren't," Wells responded seriously. "Your dad came in just as my mom was putting dinner in the oven and said he needed to meet with the council right away."

"Did he say what it was about?" Clarke asked curiously.

"No," Wells said quietly before changing the subject, "Where were you, Clarke? Where have you been disappearing to every day as soon as our studies are over?"

Clarke looked away before responding vaguely, "I told you. I have a new friend I've been spending time with."

There was silence between them for a few moments before Wells said softly, "Just don't forget the friend you've had forever, ok?"

With a smile, Clarke squeezed Wells's shoulder and reassured him, "Never."

She rose and made her way to her family's quarters where she found everything completely silent and nothing even remotely started in the way of a meal. Which meant she was on her own for dinner.

A sigh escaped Clarke's lips as she set about making herself something to eat. She was used to it. She was often left to her own devices. How could she not be when her father was the chief engineer and her mother was the chief surgeon?

By the time she'd eaten and cleaned up her mess, Clarke was tired and ready to turn in. She changed and settled herself on her bunk with a notepad and her favorite pencil. Her sketch was just starting to take shape when she heard her parents come in. They were talking in hushed tones but something she heard them say caught her attention.

"Abby, the people deserve to know."

"No, Jake. They'll riot. We have no options. None that are sane anyway. If we're going to tell them, we at least need to be able to offer them some hope."

"That's what we're trying to do, Abby," the insistent voice of Clarke's father continued, "They need to know, though, that there's no future for us up here. The only way we have a chance of surviving is if we send a team to the ground."

"Going to the ground is suicide, Jake." Clarke's mother sounded desperate.

Clarke put her pencil down to listen more closely.

"So is staying here."

At that point, the voices moved away, presumably into the bedroom. Neither one of them so much as came to check on Clarke, see if she was there.

Over and over again, Clarke played her parents words through her mind. What could it all mean? The ground? The Ark was suicide? What the hell was going on?!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The next day, Clarke was making her way to the Blakes' apartment when she heard voices coming from that direction and stopped short. Hiding around the corner, she again found herself listening to a conversation she wasn't privy to and this one made her even more upset than the one the night before had.

"I should float you right now," came the voice of a guard that Clarke couldn't quite identify. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

"My mother's already been floated," came the scared but defiant words of Clarke's new friend. "Why should I be floated just for being alive? It's not like I had a choice in being born!"

"I'm not so sure the chancellor would see it that way," the guard threatened, "And then, of course, there's the matter of your brother. He could have come forward, told us the truth about you. Especially after, as you said, your mother was floated. That makes him a co-conspirator in this treachery."

Clarke's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the gasp that tried to escape her. She had to do something. She had to save her friends. But how?

Instead of staying to listen further, she turned and stumbled back down the corridor, heading for her quarters. She needed time to think. She knew she couldn't handle this alone, that she had to tell someone else. But she also owed it to Octavia and Bellamy to make sure that whoever she told wouldn't end up making things worse.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Two hours later, she wasn't any closer to figuring out a solution and she was worried about her friends.

Clarke got up and strode with purpose toward the door. First things first. She needed to check on Octavia and Bellamy. Make sure they were ok. Then maybe they could brainstorm together to figure out how to fix this mess.

It took her several minutes to weave her way between stations before finally making it to the big heavy metal door to the Blake's apartment. She pounded out the coded knock they'd come up with and waited for one of them to let her in.

She was surprised when it took no time at all for Bellamy to open the door, pull her inside, and slam the door closed again. Immediately, he stalked across the room and sat on the bed, elbows on his knees, and looked down at the floor.

"We have a problem."

"I know," Clarke said in response.

Bellamy looked up at her incredulously as she came closer.

"You know?" he asked, "What do you mean, you know?"

Octavia emerged from beneath the floorboards where she typically hid during the inspections. She was just in time to see her brother surge to his feet and grab Clarke by the shoulders.

"Did you tell someone about us? Is that why there was an inspection today? Huh? TELL ME!"

"Bell!" Octavia cried out, rushing forward, "Don't! It's not Clarke's fault, ok? She wouldn't do that to us!"

"You sure?" Bellamy scoffed, looking over at his sister before glaring back down at Clarke in front of him, "Because I'm not. Sixteen years we've been able to keep ahead of the inspections. Then we let _her _into our lives and now we're caught and you might get floated just for being alive."

Before either of them could say anything else, Clarke exclaimed, "That's why I'm here! I tried to come by earlier and they were here."

"You mean you're the reason they were here," Bellamy accused, still not letting go of her arms.

"NO," Clarke stated firmly. "I didn't know they were here. I didn't send them. But I heard them. I heard them and I knew you were both in trouble." She turned toward Octavia and gave her a look of concern. "Are you ok? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Octavia assured her. "But we need to talk." She looked at her brother and ordered sternly, "Bell, let her go."

Bellamy was reluctant at first. He glared daggers down at Clarke while Clarke held his gaze both confidently and calmly, simply waiting for him to trust her enough to let her go.

A battle raged inside him but eventually he did let her go and sank back to the bed with a miserable sigh.

Octavia leaned against the end of the bed and Clarke sat on the edge of the table. The two girls alternated looking at each other and at the now silent Bellamy who stared sullenly down at his shoes.

"So," Clarke started since no one else was speaking, "What are we going to do?"

"I vote for not letting me get floated," Octavia answered wryly, "or put in the box."

The sky box. Would they really put Octavia in the sky box just for existing? Of course, if they'd float her for the same...Clarke shook her head.

"Bellamy," she began, "did they say how they're going to discipline you for hiding O?"

He started to shake his head but then stopped and said, "They made me an offer. One they don't think I can refuse."

Octavia was immediately alert and looked over at her big brother in alarm. "What do you mean, Bell? What kind of an offer?"

His silence spoke volumes. Clarke knew he didn't trust her and wasn't convinced that she hadn't turned them in. He'd never say a word unless she convinced him she wasn't out to destroy them.

Suddenly, Clarke said, "There's something going on within the council."

Bellamy and Octavia both looked over at her, one with wariness in his expression, the other with anticipation of what more she might say.

"I heard my parents talking last night. They said that staying on the Ark is suicide. I don't know what that means exactly but they were saying the only way to survive would be to send a group to the ground," Clarke continued.

"The ground?!" Bellamy exclaimed, "THAT would be suicide!"

With a shrug, Clarke added, "Maybe. But if it came down to a choice between dying in space and dying on earth, I know which one I'd take."

"Me too," Octavia said firmly.

Bellamy shook his head as if he couldn't quite believe what both girls were saying. Then he slowly looked up and caught Clarke's gaze. "Wait a minute. Your dad."

Clarke studied him carefully and asked, "What about my dad?"

"Your dad is Jake Griffin. Chief engineer. Right?"

There was something in his voice that spoke of urgency and Clarke nodded.

He took a deep breath and held it for a few moments before expelling it slowly with a whistle.

"What is it, Bell?" Octavia asked, her brow furrowed as she glanced at her brother curiously.

"My restitution for hiding you. I was told I need to kill Jake Griffin."

Bright blue eyes flew open as Clarke gasped. "My dad? Why would anyone want to kill my dad?"

"My guess," Bellamy speculated, "Someone knows whatever it is that your dad found out, why the Ark isn't viable anymore. And they don't want it getting out to the people."

"But," Clarke protested, "That doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does," Octavia responded, sitting down on the bed next to her brother. "Whoever it is doesn't want the people to know about the danger."

"Why, though?" Clarke asked, not understanding why anyone would want to hold that information back.

"To take control of the transport," Bellamy answered, "Decide who goes down. Who lives. Who dies."

"So this is all connected," Clarke whispered to herself. After a few moments of speculating silently, Clarke said aloud with confidence and determination. "We have to tell my dad."

A lengthy debate ensued regarding just how feasible that might be, the pros and cons of it. But in the end, Clarke's determination and her insistence that her dad would be on their side when it came to Octavia won the other girl over. Which meant her brother had no choice but to give in as well.

"These are our lives at stake, Clarke," he said seriously, "I hope you know what you're doing."

In truth, she hoped she did, too. But there was no other reasonable option and the decision had already been made. As far as she was concerned, it was too late to back out now.


	4. Chapter 4

It took most of the next day for Clarke to find a time to speak to her father alone. Even then, she hung back, standing tentatively in the doorway, until he finally noticed her and beckoned her to join him.

"What's up, Sweetheart?" he asked pleasantly as he continued studying the plans laid out in front of him.

Clarke was silent for a few moments. Long enough for Jake to look up at her questioningly, giving his daughter the benefit of his full attention.

"Clarke?"

"There's something I need to talk to you about, Dad," Clarke began, forcing herself to breathe evenly around the fear welling inside her.

"All right," Jake responded, setting aside the blueprints he'd been studying and leaning back against the table with his arms folded across his chest. "I'm listening, Sweetheart. What is it?"

"You're in danger," his daughter said bluntly, taking him completely by surprise. She clenched her fists at her sides to keep them from trembling as she continued, "Someone on the Ark wants you dead."

"What?" Jake asked, startled. His brow furrowed and his piercing blue eyes narrowed on his only child. "Why in the world would you think that, Clarke?"

She hesitated a moment, trying to decide how to phrase her response, then just said, "A friend. Someone is trying to make a deal with him. It's complicated, Dad, but he was asked to kill you in exchange for keeping a secret for him."

Jake looked at his daughter with some confusion as he asked, "A _friend_? Do you mean Wells? What kind of secret - "

"No, Dad," Clarke interrupted, shaking her head forcefully, "Not Wells. A new friend. One I met at the masquerade."

She stopped him before he could start asking questions about this new development. "It's not important who he is. What's important is that he's a trainee in the guard and he was asked to kill you to protect his secret. And it's a big secret dad. If it got out, two people who don't deserve it would probably get floated."

The urgency in her voice was clear to Jake as he studied his daughter thoughtfully.

"Well," he spoke slowly, "do you think your friend would be willing to tell you who it was that asked him to kill me so that we can look into it?"

Clarke's response was carefully calculated as she said, "I think so. But if his information turns out to be true, he'd want something in return."

"Oh?" Jake asked, his brows rising as he wondered if Clarke was speaking on behalf of the boy or if she was looking out for her friend's best interests without his knowledge.

With only a moment's hesitation, Clarke forged on. "Dad. I know the Ark is dying. And I know the Council is looking at sending a group to the ground to see if there's any chance that it's habitable."

"Clarke," Jake said in surprise, "How could you - "

"I overheard you and mom arguing about it," Clarke interrupted him, "You thought I was asleep. It was after the last Council meeting. I was in my room but I wasn't asleep. I heard everything."

Jake took this in, nodding before he let out a huff of warm air. "Clarke, that is some very dangerous information you're now privy to. You haven't shared it with your friend, have you?"

Clarke missed a mere half a beat before she answered, "I trust him. He won't tell anyone else what we know."

"I hope you're sure about that, Honey," Jake said softly, sincerely, "I'd hate to see you in danger over something I should have been able to protect you from."

"Don't worry about it, Dad," Clarke assured him, "I'll make sure nothing gets out. You just make sure you stay safe, ok?"

With an affectionate nod and smile, Jake agreed. "All right. You find out what your friend knows and I'll talk to Thelonius about an appropriate reward package should this threat turn out to be real."

"Thank you," Clarke smiled, throwing her arms around her father and squeezing him tight, "Thank you for treating me like an adult even if I'm not officially eighteen yet."

Jake chuckled, "No problem, Sweetie. I've always known that you were more mature than other kids your age."

Clarke kissed her father's cheek and headed for the door, calling out over her shoulder, "I'll be back before dinner!"

"See you then," Jake said distractedly, already thinking about who might want him dead and what kind of secret this new friend of Clarke's might be keeping.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

When Clarke arrived back to the Blakes' cabin, she used the secret knock they'd created to let them know that it was her and then waited for one of them to let her in.

Bellamy cracked the door open just wide enough for him to grasp Clarke's arm and pull her inside before he closed and locked the door again.

He looked panicked. A lot more panicked than Octavia did. And his voice was filled with anxiety when he demanded gruffly, "Well? What did he say? Are O and I headed to the Skybox?"

Clarke smiled as reassuringly as she could and shook her head, "No, Bellamy. Nobody's headed to the Skybox. I didn't even mention O to him yet." She turned and looked at Octavia for a moment before glancing back at Bellamy. "He's interested in your information. He wants to know who wants him killed. And he's willing to go to the Council to negotiate a reward package for you if he finds out the plot is for real."

"A reward package?" Bellamy scoffed, "Why would I want a reward package? I just want to survive, keep my job, and be able to keep taking care of O."

"Then that's the reward package we ask for, Bell," Octavia spoke up before Clarke could respond.

Nodding in agreement, Clarke added, "And we do one better. We get you each a spot on the drop ship."

"Why would we want to do that?" Bellamy asked, his expression one of disbelief mixed with defiance. "Why wouldn't we want to wait until the surface is cleared as survivable first?"

"Because," Clarke said with a gleam in her clear blue eyes, "after I heard about the situation with the Ark, I started looking into the logistics of getting us all to the ground." She paused and made sure she gained eye contact with each of them before continuing, "Well, it turns out that the Ark is a lot like the Titanic. You remember that story from our history lessons?"

"Yeah, I know the Titanic," Bellamy said impatiently, then remembered to prompt his sister by telling her, "Remember, O? The ship they said couldn't sink? The one that hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage?"

Octavia hesitated but nodded, blinking in confusion as she turned to Clarke, "But what does that have to do with the Ark?"

"The lifeboats," Bellamy said suddenly, putting two and two together, looking to Clarke for confirmation of his guess. "There aren't enough exodus ships for everyone on the Ark to make it to the ground."

"Right," Clarke nodded, her jaw clenched with her determination not to show how much that thought scared her. "I want to be on that first drop ship. With my mom. Maybe my dad. And both of you. To make sure that we all have the best chance possible of actually making it to the ground. Of surviving."

Bellamy and Octavia stared at each other, communicating back and forth with just their eyes, until finally they both nodded in agreement.

"Ok," Bellamy began, "I'll tell you. But the commander may not be the one who wants your father dead. He could just be the middleman." He stopped and shook his head, studying Clarke's face intently before continuing, "If that's the case, arresting him could cause more problems for you, your father, and both of us. Possibly even the Ark as a whole."

"Commander?" Clarke questioned, taking in the information he'd provided without acknowledging it, "Commander who?"

"Shumway," Octavia answered. "It was Commander Shumway who found me. He found me and threatened Bell. Said we'd both be thrown in the Skybox. Or floated. Unless Bell did what he said. He gave Bell twenty-four hours to decide."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Clarke found her dad in engineering working on some new project or design with Wick. There was a raven-haired mechanic present as well, arguing with Wick while presenting her own take on how something or other in the plan should be implemented, insisting that Wick's version wasn't realistic.

It was Wick who saw Clarke first and a wide grin spread across his devilishly charming features.

"Hey there, Blondie," he greeted her with a nod, "Here to tug on that string you've got tied around your daddy's little finger?"

"What string would that be, Wick?" Clarke returned, tamping down the annoyance she felt at being addressed and treated like a child even though she was seventeen.

"An invisible one apparently," he responded with a twinkle in his eyes, completely unperturbed.

The raven-haired mechanic looked at Clarke with disdain. Clearly she wasn't pleased with being interrupted.

Jake clapped both Wick and the mechanic on their shoulders and told them genially enough, "Why don't you two see if you can't work out your differences while I find out what my daughter needs."

If it were possible, Wick's grin widened even further and he teasingly tugged on the girl's ponytail while saying, "Come on, ya stubborn mule. Let's see if we can't figure out which of us is the more pigheaded."

A scowl crossed the girl's face and she gave Wick a shove before she stomped past him and away from the small drafting area.

Not bothered in the slightest, Wick laughed heartily, winked at Clarke ruefully, and jogged to catch up to his companion as he tossed a finger-wagging wave in Clarke's direction.

Once the other two were gone and it was clear that Jake and his daughter were alone, he gave her a small smile and a reassuring nod and said directly, "I take it you have news for me."

"I do," Clarke agreed, tilting her head back so she could look her father directly in the face. "I know who it is and I'll tell you, but Dad, whatever you decide to do, when it comes to my friend, I want to be included."

Jake's brow furrowed and he studied his daughter's face. She'd always been a serious child but this seemed overly-cautious and self-controlled even for her.

"Honey," he began cautiously, "Is there something I need to know about your friend? Some reason you especially feel like he needs to be protected?"

Solemnly, Clarke nodded. "I told you. He has a secret. It's a dangerous secret. One that could get him locked up or floated."

"Clarke," Jake said in his most fatherly, warning tone.

Before he could continue, however, Clarke blurted out, "It's what was used to blackmail him, Dad. And it's not anything he could possibly control."

Curious now, Jake slowly nodded, his expression thoughtful at his daughter's fierce loyalty to whoever this young man happened to be.

"All right," he finally relented, "I'll set up a meeting in an hour. You make sure you and your friend arrive at the executive conference room with time to spare."

Clarke nodded but worry filled her eyes.

"I don't know if it's safe to let the whole Council in on this, Dad…"

"No," Jake clarified, clearly agreeing with his daughter, "It'll be me, your mother, Kane, and Jaha. Only those who have earned my explicit trust."

Relief washed over Clarke and this time there was no hesitation in her nod. She leaned up to kiss her father on the cheek and gave him a quick, impulsive hug.

"One hour," she promised.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"What are we doing here, Clarke?" Bellamy asked quietly, his nervousness making even that simple question sound surly.

"We're doing exactly what I already told you we were going to do, Bellamy," Clarke answered, determination and not a trace of fear in her own voice. "We're going to tell them what you told me. We're going to make sure my dad doesn't die. And we're going to make sure that O can never be used to blackmail you again."

Bellamy was still scared but he forced himself to maintain his facade of indifference before asking, "And if your plan doesn't work?"

"It will," Clarke said confidently, "It has to."

They moved into the conference room and took seats side by side at one end of the table.

"So now what?" Bellamy asked, folding his hands on the table in front of him as he slouched forward.

"Now," Clarke responded, "We wait."

They didn't have to wait long before Jaha, Kane, Jake, and Abby all arrived together, as if they had met prior to the meeting.

Clarke rose when they entered and Bellamy quickly followed behind her in doing the same. Everyone stood behind their own chairs as introductions were made prior to anyone taking a seat.

"Chancellor, Councilman, Mom, Dad…" Clarke began, looking at each as she mentioned them, then she gave an encouraging glance to Bellamy before saying, "This is Bellamy Blake. He's a guard in training and he has something he'd like to tell you all."

Bellamy hesitated but when Clarke nodded at him reassuringly, he looked out at the Ark leaders and said, "Yesterday afternoon, Commander Shumway did an unexpected inspection of my quarters. He," he stopped and swallowed hard, the muscle in his jaw clenching and relaxing as he looked down at Clarke and then back up again, "He used what he found to blackmail me."

"Blackmail you into what exactly?" Jaha asked from his seat across the table.

"Blackmail me into killing Mr. Griffin," Bellamy stated directly.

"Why would Commander Shumway want to have Councilman Griffin killed?" Kane questioned.

"Because he knows the Ark is dying," Clarke answered.

Jaha, Kane, and Clarke's mother gawked at each other in astonished dismay.

"How do you know that?" Kane demanded.

"I heard my parents discussing it when they thought I was asleep," Clarke responded, unruffled by Marcus Kane and his typical black and white outlook on everything.

"If that information gets out before we've fully developed our plan of action for handling the...crisis...the people will riot. There will be chaos, confusion, anarchy," Kane rattled off, "You do understand the magnitude of the weight you now bear simply for knowing what you know, do you not?"

Bellamy's jaw clenched again at the words but Clarke's gaze never faltered as she nodded. He took his cue from her and said solemnly, "We understand."

"That still doesn't explain why Shumway would want Jake dead," Abby, Clarke's mother, spoke up.

Jake, who had remained quiet and without comment until that moment, said, "I'm the one pushing for equanimity in our planning. If it were up to me, our people would already know of the oxygen shortage and would be included in brainstorming an appropriate response."

Kane flashed Jake a warning glare but before he could protest verbally, Jaha raised his hand and spoke.

"There are many reasons that Shumway could benefit from Jake's death or from the death of any of us for that matter. What I want to know is how we are supposed to verify this information and what exactly the commander found that he planned to use to blackmail Mr. Blake."

Bellamy cleared his throat before answering. "To answer your first question, Commander Shumway gave me twenty-four hours to think about his request before I had to provide a response. I expect him to stop by my cabin around eight this evening." He paused and looked down at Clarke again, mentally preparing himself for the leap of faith in her that he was about to take. "There's a hidden compartment in the floorboards. One of you could easily fit and listen from there."

"Hidden compartment in the floorboards," Jaha repeated, studying the young man intently. "Who would have created such a compartment and what purpose would it serve?"

Clarke's shoulder brushed Bellamy's arm, reminding him that he wasn't there alone. He took a deep breath and responded, "My mother negotiated with someone, I'm not sure who, to have the compartment installed sixteen years ago. Not long after my sister was born."


	5. Chapter 5

At first the only thing that could be heard around the table was the silence of shock. Unfortunately for Bellamy, it was Kane who first regained his ability to speak. Kane, the one who was least likely to be flexible when it came to rules and regulations. The one who was least likely to show even a tiny shred of compassion.

"Siblings are a direct violation of our charter and covenants," Kane said sternly. "How is it that your family was able to keep a second child secret for as many years as you claim?"

Clarke spoke up, determined to direct the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"With all due respect, Councilman, my father's life is at stake here and we don't have much time before Commander Shumway is expecting Bellamy back in his cabin." She paused and inhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay calm and reasonable.

"Bellamy is not responsible for his sister's existence and his mother has already been floated," she felt Bellamy stiffen beside her and quickly threw an apologetic glance in his direction before continuing, "Can we please table that part of the discussion until after we've dealt with the danger at hand?"

Jaha spoke up, his voice deep and even, almost soothing to the two young people whose nerves were frayed beyond recognition.

"Clarke is right, Marcus. If Jake truly is in danger, his safety must come first."

The chancellor turned to Bellamy and said, "If what you've said is true, we will meet again to discuss compensation for your loyalty and service. For now, I would like for you to take Councilman Kane back to your quarters to show him this compartment and discuss with him how you will proceed when Commander Shumway comes to see you."

Bellamy nodded but didn't say a word. Instead, he watched as Jaha turned to the others and said, "We will reconvene here at nine tomorrow morning. Would anyone else like to speak before we disperse?"

Jake, Abby, and Marcus glanced at each other but remained silent.

"Good," Jaha stated, "Dismissed."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Clarke watched Bellamy leave with Kane, then followed her parents out of the conference room. When they got several hundred feet down the corridor, Clarke grabbed her mother's arm and said urgently, "I need to talk to you."

"Clarke," Abby said in a tired, reluctant tone but Clarke shook her head and insisted.

"It's important, Mom. And it can't wait."

Jake looked at the two women in his life with uncertainty, a question in his eyes.

Abby shook her head at him and said, "Go on ahead. We'll meet you shortly."

When he'd gone, Abby turned back to her daughter and asked impatiently, "What is it?"

"It's about Bellamy's mom," Clarke began, "I'm not even sure if it's possible, but I think she may have been floated for something that wasn't her fault."

With furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, Abby asked, "What do you mean, Clarke?"

Clarke looked around to make sure they were alone and lowered her voice while maintaining the urgency in it, "I mean that if I'm right, Bellamy's mom was floated for a faulty implant, NOT for purposely getting pregnant with a second...or third...child."

"Third?" her mother questioned, obviously confused.

Nodding, Clarke said, "Third. I'm pretty sure I was there when Ms. Blake was brought in to our med bay. She had passed out in the commissary and you found out that she was pregnant. You ended up reporting her, but by then Octavia had been around for years. Would she really deliberately get pregnant three times when she knows that anything more than once is a death wish? There must be some possibility that implants can malfunction at least on occasion."

Hearing Clarke's explanation, Abby was silent and contemplative for a few moments. Finally, she looked her daughter in the eye and said, "I'll check the records, see if I can find any notation of when she received her last dose into the implant. See if any troubles were documented. Do what I can to find out if anything out of the ordinary happened with her. I won't make any promises, but I will look into it."

Impulsively, Clarke threw her arms around her mom and gave her a squeeze.

"Thank you," she said softly and sincerely into Abby's ear. "Thank you so much."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Marcus Kane had just met Octavia Blake who, in spite of being more terrified than she could ever remember being in her life, was showing him the compartment beneath the floorboards where she'd hidden during inspections for the past sixteen years.

"You won't have any room to move," Octavia was saying, "And you may have to kind of fold yourself in there, but you should fit."

"How is it that you've survived like this?" Marcus asked, the question more from curiosity and disbelief than concern for the girl's well-being. "No rations, no healthcare, no schooling - "

"Bellamy taught me," Octavia interrupted, "And he shared his food. And since I never left the room, I never got sick so mom and Bell could take care of me with a simple first aid kit."

Bellamy was extremely uncomfortable with the information that Octavia was sharing. If something went wrong, she was giving the Councilman plenty of ammunition to float him for conspiracy. Then who would take care of her? Or would they throw her in the Skybox just for existing?

"We need to get you in the compartment," Bellamy told Kane abruptly, "Shumway should be here in the next five minutes or so."

Kane nodded and followed Octavia's instructions for the best way to squeeze himself into the small space.

Once the floorboard was flipped closed, Octavia took a seat at their small two-person table and frowned at her brother.

He seemed to understand her without any words because he walked over to her, gave her a grim nod and squeezed her shoulder. It was the best he could do in an attempt to reassure her that everything would be ok.

Silence filled the room for the next couple minutes until, right on schedule, a loud knock sounded at the door.

Bellamy answered it and, sure enough, there stood Commander Shumway, looking as hardened and menacing as ever.

Stepping aside, Bellamy let him in and as soon as the door was closed, he wasn't surprised that the Commander got straight down to business.

"Well, Mr. Blake. Have you made your decision?"

"Tell me your terms again," Bellamy requested, hoping to get a full confession from the Commander for Kane's benefit, "What do I get if I do as you've asked?"

Shumway frowned. "I would think you'd be less concerned with any rewards for your cooperation and more interested in saving your sister's life."

"So I'd essentially be trading Octavia's life for Mr. Griffin's, is that it?" Bellamy asked, trying again to spell it out so that Kane could hear exactly what Shumway's plan had been.

"Yes," Shumway agreed impatiently, "But you know this. Why are you stalling? Are you going to kill Jake Griffin or not?"

"How am I supposed to kill him, Commander?" Bellamy asked, feeling relief that the man had finally stated his intentions. "I don't exactly have weapons of my own."

"I've seen your scores during training, Blake," Shumway scoffed, "I'll get you a weapon. You just make sure that you discharge it as well with a mission as you have when it's been for practice."

Bellamy nodded, his jaw clenching as his eyes hardened. "When will I see you again? Do you have a timeframe or a set plan that you need me to stick to?"

"All in good time, Mr. Blake," Shumway said, "For now all you need to know is that it is essential for you to be ready at a moment's notice. I will find you. I will supply you with your weapon and your instructions and you will follow through with them accordingly."

With a glance over his shoulder at Octavia, Bellamy nodded again and said, "I'll be waiting."

Once Shumway was gone, Octavia opened the compartment again and Bellamy moved closer to help Kane maneuver out of his awkward position.

The Councilman studied the young man reaching his hand toward him for several moments. When he took Bellamy's hand, it was as if he had decided something. Something that Bellamy was completely in the dark about.

"We'll need to find out who he's working with," Kane said, "Who he's working for. I find it very unlikely that he came up with this plan all on his own. We may need you to follow through to an extent until we're able to pinpoint where this plot originated and how to take all involved down when we stop them."

This time when Bellamy nodded, he couldn't completely mask the fear in his eyes but he hid it as well as he could.

Kane gave him a nod in return and, without acknowledging Octavia, he said, "I'll see you in the executive conference room tomorrow at 9am." He paused and headed for the door. When he reached it, he turned back and said, "Excellent work, son. You've served the Ark and her leaders well."

Once they were alone again, Octavia raced to her brother and threw her arms around him. He caught her easily and held her tight.

"What's gonna happen now, Bell?" Octavia asked in a small, curious voice that was full of dread.

"I don't know, O," Bellamy answered honestly, "I wish I did."

Octavia stepped back from him and leaned against the table, searching his face for any indication that he had some sort of suspicion of what their fate may be one way or the other but he looked as clueless as she felt.

Speaking both wistfully and impatiently, Octavia said, "I wish Clarke would come by and tell us if she's learned anything new since you last saw her."

The mention of Clarke brought silence to the room. Bellamy seemed to almost close in on himself, becoming thoughtful, contemplative.

Clarke had impressed him in the meeting they'd attended together. He'd been surprised that she'd chosen to attend and wasn't sure what to think when she'd sat beside him as if she were on trial as well. Then when she'd defended him...he'd momentarily felt betrayed when she'd spoken of his mother but when he'd heard the rest of her statement, he'd found himself awed by her.

She'd held her own with some of the most powerful people on the Ark. He wasn't quite sure that he could have done that himself. In fact, if it weren't for her, he had to admit to himself that he probably would be preparing to kill her father.

He'd thought that when they'd met her at the masquerade that she would naively put them all in harm's way. But that wasn't what had happened. No one was at fault for what had happened. And yet she'd very likely given them their one and only chance to continue living safe and free. Or at least as free as one could be on a century old space station that was apparently falling to pieces.

A hand shaking his arm brought Bellamy out of his reverie and he found himself giving his sister a reassuring and self-deprecating half-smile.

"Sorry, O," he apologized, "Got lost in thought there for a minute. There's a lot to sort out about this whole thing."

"Yeah, there is," Octavia agreed, then smirked at her big brother and teased him, "And I wouldn't be remotely surprised if one of those things you end up needing to sort out is how you feel about Clarke."

Bellamy rolled his eyes and then narrowed them at his sister good-naturedly, "Sorry, O. You're gonna be disappointed there. Clarke is your friend, not mine."

"Uh huh, sure," Octavia said knowingly, "And that's why she stayed by your side during that whole ordeal with the Chancellor and the Council members."

Shaking his head, Bellamy responded, "She was there because of you, not because of me. Don't go getting any crazy romantic notions stuck in that fanciful head of yours."

Octavia grinned guiltily but held her head high. She clearly couldn't care less about her brother's protestations. Which was made even more obvious when she said in a sing-song voice, "I wouldn't be so suuuure."

Playfully, Bellamy swatted at her and she easily danced away, spinning and twirling across the room.

She skidded to a sudden stop and turned, asking boldly, "Want to make a wager on it?"

"Not on your life!" Bellamy exclaimed, tackling her playfully to the ground and tickling her senseless.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Clarke was impatient. She was waiting in her room to hear something, anything. But the longer she waited, the more she drew, until she finally realized she was unlikely to hear anything until morning.

With a sigh of frustration, she roughly slammed her notebook and pencil onto her desk. When she looked down at what she'd been mindlessly doodling, she was surprised to see that it was a caricature of Bellamy's face, how he had looked sitting beside her at the executive conference table earlier that day.

What in the world had she been thinking? Surely she'd only drawn him because of how worried she was about how everything would turn out for him and Octavia now that the leadership knew their secret.

That had to be it, she decided.

She put her art supplies away and readied herself for bed with a yawn. Tomorrow would be a big day. Tomorrow she'd find out what Bellamy and Octavia's fate would be. Tomorrow she'd make sure they, and her dad, remained safe.


	6. Chapter 6

Sleep had been elusive for both Clarke and Bellamy though neither could know that the other was also awake, wondering and worrying about how the day would go. By nine in the morning, they were again outside the executive conference room, both with dark shadows under their eyes.

They acknowledged each other with silent nods and waited side by side for the Ark leaders to join them. When it took longer than they'd expected for the others to arrive, Clarke cleared her throat and spoke quietly.

"How's Octavia handling all of this?"

The question seemed to indicate that Bellamy had been right. Clarke was Octavia's friend first and foremost, not his. Still, it was what he had expected and, truth be told, it was what he wanted. Octavia needed a friend and he couldn't have asked for someone more loyal or committed than Clarke. Particularly considering the current situation and the fact that Clarke had never so much as blinked or batted an eye before jumping in headfirst to help them.

"She's Octavia," he said with fondness and pride. "She's handling it."

Clarke smiled and glanced up at Bellamy, searching his face as she asked, "And you? How are you handling it?"

Bellamy first thought she was asking out of politeness but then he looked over at her and saw the genuine compassion and concern in her gaze and he shrugged uncomfortably.

"I'm handling it," he said without expanding any further.

Before she could say anything else, her parents arrived, accompanied by the Chancellor. A few yards behind them, from a different corridor, came Councillor Kane.

Once they were all gathered, they entered the secured room together, closed the door, and took their seats.

From the head of the table, Jaha looked expectantly at Kane and said, "Report."

Kane nodded and stood, looking at each of those gathered before saying, "Mr. Blake was correct. It would seem that Commander Shumway, whether on his own or in conjunction with one or more others, is planning to have Mr. Griffin assassinated." He paused and rested his dark eyes solely on the Chancellor before he continued. "We will need to implement counter measures to keep Jake safe while we try to find out Shumway's end game."

"He wants to overtake the dropship," Bellamy spoke up and every eye at the table looked toward him.

"What do you mean, son?" Thelonious asked intently while the others also waited expectantly for the answer.

"I mean," Bellamy began, "that Shumway offered me a spot on the dropship, me and Octavia, if I carry out what he asked me to do."

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Kane demanded, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.

Clarke shoved her chair away from the table and said sternly, "He was protecting himself."

Bellamy grasped her wrist and hissed at her through gritted teeth as he pushed himself up to stand beside her, "I can answer for myself."

She flashed him a defiant glare but sat back down, clenching her jaw shut, refusing to look at him again as he spoke.

"I wanted to make sure I had a bargaining chip," he said calmly in a matter-of-fact manner. "In case Shumway didn't show or things didn't go the way they were supposed to last night."

"I see," Jaha responded pensively, the wheels in his head clearly turning. "I'd advise you to be more forthcoming in the future. Your deviousness appears to have paid off this time but you won't always be so lucky."

"Understood," Bellamy stated with a single nod. He remained standing, hands behind his back, feet shoulder-width apart as if he were utilizing the 'at ease' stance from his guard training.

"You may have a seat," Jaha said, his attention turning to his comrades around the table as he addressed them, "What are your thoughts on how to suss out anyone who might be working with Shumway?"

Kane cleared his throat and responded confidently, "I've tapped into his communications. If he contacts anyone, we'll know. I'll also be monitoring the video feed to see where he goes, who he meets with. It shouldn't be long before we know who, if anyone, he's working with."

Jaha appeared to be satisfied with that plan but Bellamy spoke up respectfully before anyone could comment on what Kane had said.

"Sir," he said respectfully, "If you need me to, I'm willing to help in any way I can."

Clarke looked up at Bellamy in surprise. Hearing him volunteer like that wasn't something she had expected and she wondered at his reasoning. If anything happened to him, Octavia would be alone. Her friend shouldn't have to endure that. No one should.

"Thank you," Jaha said sincerely in response, acknowledging Bellamy's offer with a nod. "You seem to be loyal to our people, to our cause. What is it that you are hoping for in exchange for your cooperation?"

As soon as the Chancellor's words were out, a wave of nervousness swept over Clarke.

Bellamy, too, felt his anxiety level rise to critical levels but he knew that for him, for Octavia, their continued safety and well-being were dependent on his response. He couldn't blow his opportunity to speak his mind.

"Two things," he said, sounding much more calm and confident than he felt, "First, Octavia and I are safe. We're not thrown in lock-up. We're not floated." He paused and let that sink in for a moment. Before he continued, he hesitated, glancing at Clarke, wondering if he really was brave enough, or stupid enough, to actually make his other request. When he opened his mouth again, he found that he was. "The second thing is, Octavia and I go to the ground. With the first group."

Those gathered there didn't know how to respond. Clarke looked around at each of their faces and tried to guess whether they were inclined to agree to Bellamy's requests or not. She wanted to lift her hand and squeeze his but she didn't dare move.

"Why?" Kane asked directly. "Why would you want to risk radiation poisoning on the surface when there's every possibility that our engineers, our mechanics will find a way to make life on the Ark sustainable again?"

Clarke held her breath and fought the urge to glance at Bellamy, see how he was holding up. Of all the things they'd thrown at the leaders before them, the response to Bellamy's answer would completely determine the next actions that Clarke and her friends took. The one thing that she knew was that she wouldn't leave them alone. Whatever happened, she was ready to leave everything else behind to ensure Bellamy and Octavia's survival.

Bellamy, too, had to force himself not to look at the girl sitting by his side. She was insane to be doing this, to be helping them the way she was. It made no sense to him whatsoever. There had to be some benefit to her, some motivation for her to push so hard, to go out of her way to take care of Octavia, of him, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was. When he was able to speak calmly and clearly, he took a breath and hoped for the best.

"Because," he began, "Our chance of making it to the ground becomes almost non-existent if we wait." He forced his breathing to remain even as he continued, "It's not difficult to do the math. If the Ark can't be made viable again, if Earth becomes the only option, there's no way that everyone will make it to the surface. There aren't enough exodus ships." Bellamy paused to take a breath and let them process what he'd said, then added firmly, "O and I WILL make it."

There was complete silence around the table. Each of the leaders' faces was unreadable. They seemed to be communicating non-verbally for several minutes before Jaha looked right at Clarke and said, "We need a few moments alone with Mr. Blake."

Clarke began to protest but her mom shook her head slightly in warning and Clarke clamped her mouth shut. Slowly, she rose, tried to communicate to Bellamy that she was still with him, even if it would now be in spirit rather than in physical form, and made her way to the door. When she looked back, she caught Bellamy's eye and if she hadn't been sure before, she was sure now. He'd understood what she was trying to tell him without words.

Once Clarke was gone, Jaha spoke up again.

"Mr. Blake. We appreciate the candor you've shown in this meeting. We, too, will get right to the point." He paused and turned to Clarke's mother and said, "Abby. I understand you have some information to share with us."

"Yes, Thelonious," Abby said, acknowledging him with a look before turning to the others, focusing specifically on Bellamy. "I've done a preliminary check of our medical records on Aurora Blake, Bellamy's mother. I haven't been able to determine anything conclusively and I may not be able to, but it would seem that it's entirely possible that Ms. Blake was floated for a crime for which she was not culpable."

She waited for that to sink in before she continued, "On first glance, it would appear that Ms. Blake had chosen a five year implant after giving birth to Bellamy. When she returned to medical to change out that implant for a longer-acting one, the tech who was to administer it was called away. There is no record of whether or not the new implant was ever inserted or activated."

Bellamy's breath caught in his throat and his hands began to tingle as if they were going numb. His mother had been innocent? He'd always thought that there had been some sort of deal involved, that the pregnancies had been part of a negotiation. That whatever the plan had been with Octavia had gone awry. But no. His mother hadn't put herself in danger. She hadn't been reckless. She'd simply been his mother. Dealing with a bad situation.

When she was done speaking, Thelonious began again. "Now," he said directly to Bellamy, "Considering that information, there should be no difficulty posthumously pardoning your mother. That will allow your sister the freedom to move around the Ark without consequences."

A relief so sharp it was painful shot through Bellamy and before he could check himself, his gratitude spilled over verbally.

"Thank you, Sir," he said, his voice deep and full of emotion.

Jaha nodded, but he wasn't done.

"Now," he said, studying Bellamy closely, "With that in mind, do you still desire for yourself and your sister to be on the initial drop ship?"

Bellamy focused himself for a few moments. He concentrated on his breathing. In. Out. Calm. Even. He couldn't let them see how conflicted he was. How unsure he was of any part of this dangerous plan. He and Octavia were safe. Shumway could go fuck himself. Bellamy didn't have to do a damn thing he didn't want to do.

But the facts still remained. The Ark was dying. There weren't enough exodus ships. He could ask that they be guaranteed seats somewhere at some point after the ground's survivability had been determined but there were too many variables. Too many things that could go wrong. Too many opportunities for those around the table to take back their promise or or no longer be in a position to fulfill the promise. No. They had to go. And it had to be in the initial drop.

"Yes, sir," Bellamy said respectfully, his tone sure, confident. "Octavia and I have every intention of going to the ground. And being among the first to do so."

"Well then," Jaha said, sounding as if he'd expected nothing less than the response he'd received, "We have one more request of you."

"Sir?" Bellamy questioned, internally waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Jaha glanced at Kane and Kane spoke up, "There are two things, actually. One, Jake needs to be guarded. Subtly. If we place you in that position, it may draw Shumway out, make him more confident. Anyone he's working with could become overly confident, slip up. If you continue to act as if you are going to do as he wants while also protecting Griffin, it's likely that you'll find out exactly what we need to put a stop to this plot and make sure those responsible pay."

Several moments were provided to allow Bellamy to consider what had been said and connect the dots before Kane continued, "Therefore, our second request is that you gather and relay to us any intelligence you are able to glean from Shumway or others while performing your other task."

Kane's intense, unblinking gaze held Bellamy's. "If you agree to help us in this way, regardless of the final result, you will have secured a place for yourself and your sister on the drop ship."

It took no time at all for Bellamy to say with assurance, "I'll do it."

They could have asked Bellamy to take ten lashes, a bullet to his gut, just about anything and he would have said yes. The only thing that was important to him was Octavia's survival. And his own.

A gleam of satisfaction crossed Kane's countenance. He nodded. "You'll report to me. Any contact from Shumway or anyone else on his behalf, you communicate it to me immediately. Your supervisor will advise you of your new assignment within the next forty-eight hours. You'll be directed to secure engineering as they work on the Ark systems. Only you will know that the real assignment is specifically to guard Jake Griffin. Any questions?"

Bellamy reviewed everything he'd been told in his mind before he shook his head. "No, sir."

"Good," Kane said, a gleam of pleasure in his dark eyes.

"I look forward to working with you," Jake spoke up for the first time, his eyes light and clear, friendly even. They reminded Bellamy of the man's daughter.

With a nod, Bellamy said with curt sincerity, "Same."

"If there's nothing else," Jaha stated when he saw that everything appeared to be in place, all necessary details worked out for the time being, "You are dismissed."

Everyone rose from the table and exchanged farewells but then the leaders took their seats again while Bellamy exited the room.

"Well?" Clarke asked immediately, clearly anxious about the things that had happened without her knowledge.

A slow, crooked grin spread across Bellamy's face and he said, "We're cleared. O's legit. She can move around the Ark now without being thrown in the Skybox. And we're scheduled to go down with the drop ship."

Clarke squealed in delight and impulsively threw her arms around Bellamy. "I'm so happy for you, Bell!"

The nickname that Octavia had given him sounded strange on Clarke's lips but not unpleasant. Bellamy decided to let it slide. He even hugged her back a little awkwardly.

"Let's go tell Octavia!"


	7. Chapter 7

Freedom was an entirely new concept to Octavia. When she'd heard that her existence had been made legitimate, she'd squealed with glee, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes as she threw her arms around her brother and her friend.

"So what are we gonna do first?" she asked excitedly, one arm flung around Clarke's shoulders and another flung haphazardly around her brother, pulling them both toward the door.

Bellamy and Clarke looked at each other, leaning back to see past Octavia's head. Clarke's only verbal response was an "Umm" while Bellamy cleared his throat uncomfortably, not at all used to being able to leave his quarters with his sister in tow.

"What?" Octavia demanded as they neared the door and she let go of them to fling it open, "Come on! There's gotta be something fun to do around here, right?! You could at least give me a full tour so I can start to learn my way around!"

A smile slowly crept across Clarke's face, her friend's enthusiasm bringing a chuckle to her lips. She shook her head and glanced at Octavia affectionately. "I keep forgetting you don't know how boring this place is yet."

"Hey, try living beneath the floorboards for sixteen years!" Octavia grinned, her eyes sparkling.

"All right," Bellamy said, cutting off any further banter between the two, "Let's show you around this tin can, get you set up as an apprentice, schedule you for a real physical, and find something to eat."

Octavia rolled her eyes and groaned. "Bellllll, really? I can't even just be free for a DAY before I have to start getting things done?"

Clarke laughed. The two were much more like child and caretaker in that moment than siblings. It amused her to no end.

"Oh come on," she said to Bellamy, "Let's at least give her a full tour first. We can take care of those things along the way."

Outnumbered two to one, Bellamy grumbled his reluctant consent and they exited the quarters into the corridor. From there, they made their way from one station to the next, taking turns explaining to Octavia the purpose of each area and answering her questions.

When they reached the area that housed the council member's quarters, Bellamy hesitated but Clarke urged them forward.

"Let's go. I want to show you where Wells and I hang out and where I do all my drawing."

Octavia followed eagerly but Bellamy was reluctant.

"I'll wait here," he said awkwardly.

Clarke studied him for a moment, a sad acknowledgment in her eyes showed her understanding of the differences between them. She nodded slowly before saying softly, "If you're uncomfortable, that's fine. But Bellamy, I want you to know that you truly are welcome here. Even if it is just by me."

The intensity and sincerity in her warm blue eyes unsettled Bellamy for a moment. He gave a hasty nod and broke contact with her gaze, unable to handle the level of vulnerability he felt when she looked at him like that.

"Thanks," he mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and shuffling his feet nervously.

With a smile, Clarke hooked her arm through Octavia's and they moved forward together, leaving Bellamy behind to wait for them in the corridor outside.

Several crew members passed by Bellamy while he stood there with nothing to do. Their brows furrowed and they gave him questioning glances but never said a word. Then came a tall, solidly built black boy who stopped right in front of him.

"I haven't seen you before," the boy said directly, sticking out his hand, "I'm Wells Jaha, and you are…?"

Bellamy struggled not to show his resentment at meeting not only another of the elite, but the chancellor's son. He forced his indifferent mask into place and said coolly without taking the outstretched hand, "Bellamy Blake. I'm just waiting for someone and then I'll be out of your way."

"Someone…" Wells echoed, his eyes narrowed in puzzlement.

Clarke and Octavia came around the corner then and Clarke grinned at Wells. She threw her arm around Octavia and confirmed with a nod, "Someone. Namely, me. Wells, these are the friends I've been spending time with since the masquerade. You've met Bellamy and this is his sister," she glanced briefly at the girl beside her before turning back to her oldest friend, "Octavia."

"Good to meet you both," Wells said with a polite nod.

Octavia wasn't used to meeting people like this and there was something about Wells that unsettled her. She felt shy and uncertain with him standing there looking down at her. It didn't matter that his dark eyes appeared kind and courteous.

Remembering the manners that her mother and brother had taught her, Octavia squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye with all the determination she could muster. She reached out her hand and said, "Nice to meet you...friend of Clarke's."

With a small smile, Wells took her hand and shook it. "The pleasure is mine." Turning a curious look to Clarke, he then said, "I'll see you later?"

Clarke nodded, "Later. I have a few drawings I want to show you."

"Good," Wells responded, "I'll see you then." He acknowledged Clarke's two friends, his back stiff with disapproval, and moved down the hall that led toward his quarters as well as the shared lounge space.

Looking with uncertainty at Bellamy, Octavia suddenly craved the familiarity and the safety of their quarters. She hated the feeling. She didn't want to be weak or scared. But she was.

"Bell?" she asked in a small voice that she wished with all her being sounded stronger, "Can we take a break for awhile? Find somewhere to sit and watch the stars maybe?"

Immediately, Bellamy nodded, the transformation to 'big brother mode' was instant. "Yeah. Of course." He looked over at Clarke and asked, "You up for coming with us or are you staying here?"

In a strange way, Clarke almost felt like there was more to the question than what was literally being asked and for a moment she wasn't sure how to answer. She studied Octavia briefly before turning her eyes back to Bellamy. "I think I'll pass this time. Looks like O could use some time alone with you before your shift. Next time, though."

She smiled at her friend and gave her an impulsive little squeeze. "I'll check in with you later, ok? Maybe I can show you med bay where I'm apprenticing with my mom."

Octavia flashed a small, grateful smile, then hip-checked her brother and grabbed his hand. "Come on. Show me where we get our rations. I'm hungry."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Wells was sitting on the couch, right where Clarke knew he'd be. She sat down beside him and nudged him with her shoulder.

"What are you working on?" she asked as she looked down at the notebook on his lap.

"Just some logistics," Wells responded. "I'm supposed to go over these departmental reports and provide a summary by end of day tomorrow." He glanced over at her and showed her what he was working on. "My work will be compared with the summary that the council members provide. It's part of my training."

Clarke had figured as much as soon as he'd said the word 'logistics.' Wells was training to be a leader of the Ark just like his father. It seemed like most people on the massive station tended to follow in their parents' footsteps as they grew toward adulthood. Unless, of course, they showed some certain aptitude in another field entirely.

Much like Wells, that hadn't been the case for Clarke. From the time she was small, she'd always wanted to take care of people. And she was good at it. She wondered momentarily if Bellamy's father had been in the guard. Or if Octavia would show an aptitude for sewing.

The silences between Clarke and Wells were always comfortable. They'd known each other so long that they could sit companionably and know each other's moods without ever saying a word.

Today, though, Wells looked over at Clarke curiously and said, "So those are your friends from the masquerade."

Nodding demurely, Clarke clasped her hands around her knees and stared straight ahead. "Yes. Those are the friends I made at the masquerade." She'd been bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet but she stopped abruptly and turned to him, asking plainly, "Why?"

Instead of answering, Wells just looked at her with raised brows and asked, "Siblings?"

"Yes," Clarke said firmly, fighting the urge to defend herself and the Blakes, telling herself instead that there was nothing to defend.

Wells waited to see if she would say anything further in explanation but knew from the stubborn look in her eyes that it wasn't likely. Finally, he commented instead, "The only siblings on the Ark...that we know about."

Not sure what to make of his statement, Clarke eyed him warily. "What are you getting at, Wells?"

"How well do you really know them, Clarke?" he asked with a hint of what Clarke felt was a cross between concern and elitist superiority.

"As well as I need to," Clarke responded with a stony glare.

With a sigh, Wells put down his notebook and turned to his friend, saying sincerely, "Clarke, Bellamy is a lot older than us."

"So?" Clarke asked with furrowed brow.

He hesitated a few moments before saying, "How do you know he's not just trying to use you or take advantage of you? I heard dad talking and I know what you did for them."

Octavia's smiling face immediately flashed through Clarke's mind along with Bellamy's solemn scowl. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she said coldly, "He's not taking advantage. I offered to help."

"How do you know that wasn't his plan all along?" Wells added, "Some scheme to meet the daughter of two councilpersons who could probably help find a way to make his sister legitimate."

Clarke was done listening. She stood and crossed her arms over her chest, blue eyes sparking with anger as stood over her oldest friend and looked down her nose at him. "Enough. That's not what happened, Wells. And I wouldn't care if it was. They're my friends and that's all you should need to know."

Without another word, Clarke spun on her heel and stormed out of the room. When she arrived to her quarters, she found her sketchbook and a pencil and proceeded to pour her emotions directly onto the piece of paper. A good thirty minutes later, she stared down at what she'd created and inhaled deeply, taking calm, even breaths as she studied the face that now looked back at her.

Her eyes scanned the full lips, the dark and curly hair, the sprinkle of freckles that spanned across his nose and cheekbones, and with her jaw set in determination she said softly, "I don't care what anyone says. You keep doing what you need to do and I'll stand by you. Octavia's not the only one who needs a friend."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Wells watched as Clarke stalked away from him before turning his eyes downward to his notebook again. Turning to the back of it, he picked up his pen and jotted down a simple note that he intended to deliver himself.

Blake,

Clarke doesn't need you taking advantage of her kindness and compassion. Leave her alone. If you hurt her in any way, you will answer to me.

Wells Jaha

He read it over again and gave a satisfied nod. He'd deliver it that evening, slip it under the door to the Blake's quarters. With any luck, the young man would take the hint and Wells wouldn't have to confront him in person.


	8. Chapter 8

Hurried footsteps alerted Clarke that someone was coming. When she saw her mother with a near-frantic look on her face, Clarke put down her sketch pad and sat up in bed.

"Mom?" Clarke questioned, puzzled as to what could possibly be wrong, "What's going on?"

"Clarke, listen to me," Abby said urgently, coming forward to hold her daughter gently by the shoulders, looking her square in the eye, "Did you take Octavia out of her quarters?"

Confused, Clarke gave her mother a blank stare and said, "Uh, yeah. She's legit now, right? Why should she stay in her quarters?"

Abby groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Clarke," she murmured, "Because Shumway will know that he's lost the ability to blackmail Bellamy. He'll know that Bellamy came to us. By taking her out of her quarters, you've put both of the Blakes at risk."

Her blue eyes widened in horror, Clarke exclaimed in shock, "Oh, my god, Mom! I never even thought about that. I just wanted Octavia to have some fun." Clarke was filled with guilt when she realized that her thoughtless actions might have put her friends in danger. "What can we do? How can we fix this?"

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Abby calmed herself and thought quickly. "I'm going to call a council meeting, including department heads. Make sure Shumway shows up. Then I'll give them a version of the truth. Talk about the records. Say I went to Bellamy about his mom being floated unnecessarily. Then he could have told me about Octavia."

"Do you think it'll work?" Clarke asked hopefully, her hands clenching her sketchbook until her knuckles were white.

"It has to," Abby said," Otherwise they're in serious danger."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

A council meeting was called to take place at 18:30 that same day. Abby spoke with Bellamy and Octavia beforehand, visiting their quarters not long after she had talked to Clarke so that she could let them know what was going on.

As Abby was leaving the Blakes' cabin a short time later, Shumway was standing right outside the door about to knock.

"Commander," Abby said in surprise, her mind scrambling to make sure she had her story straight already if need be. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Doctor," Shumway acknowledged, his eyes narrowing at her presence. He lied easily, saying, "I was coming to let the boy know that we need him on shift earlier than expected. Has he fallen ill or been injured somehow?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Abby assured him, "I came to speak with him about a private matter. A documentation error that was found when reviewing charts from the last year." She paused and tilted her head to the side thoughtfully for a moment, "Actually, it's brought an interesting matter to light. You'll be hearing more about it at the council meeting this evening. You will be there, won't you?"

Shumway pursed his thin lips and gave a sharp nod, "Affirmative."

"Good," Abby said with a cordial smile, "I'll look forward to seeing you then."

She started down the hall and made it around the corner before she looked back to see what Shumway would do. He stood where she'd left him, hesitating at the Blake's door, then he turned on his heel and continued on down the corridor, apparently deciding to leave the inhabitants alone for the time being.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The executive conference room was filled to maximum capacity. The sound of two dozen voices chattering away on various topics created a din that could not be contained.

It was only when the Chancellor arrived that the noise finally died down. He held up his hand as he stood behind his seat and the room became silent.

Once everyone had taken their places around the large table that was often used for planning and problem-solving, strategizing and more, Jaha spoke.

"We are all gathered here this evening at the request of Dr. Abby Griffin. She has made a discovery that will potentially impact each and every one of you. At the very least, as department heads, you will almost surely be asked a number of impossible questions by those under you. We want you to be prepared with the best answers you can give."

They all looked at each other, puzzled, trying to discover if there were any among them who were already aware of the news. No one seemed any the wiser as eyes turned toward the head of the table again while Abby stood to speak.

"Good evening, everyone," she began, "It is my duty to inform you that as we were reviewing patient charts from the last year, a rather serious anomaly was found. It appears that several patients who had appeared in med bay to receive an updated contraceptive implant did not, in fact, receive the medication as they were supposed to."

A low murmur could be heard throughout the chamber as the councillors reacted to the news. Abby held up her hand to ask for quiet before she continued.

"Please, let me explain. It appears that approximately seventeen years ago there were five patients scheduled for their implants when there was an emergency in the maintenance bay. The two apprentices that were supposed to handle the implants got called away to assist with the emergency. When they returned, their patients were gone and they assumed others had taken care of the implants."

She looked around the room to see whether they were all aware of the implications. "We were made aware of this error by one of the patients who recently came to be treated for an injury. While checking vitals and scanning for other injuries, the mistake was found. That is when we began reviewing charts and found the other four."

After taking a breath, she squared her shoulders and steeled herself for the response to what she had to say next. "We attempted to recall those patients to right the mistake. However, we discovered that one of those patients, Ms. Aurora Blake, had already been floated. Unduly. For having become pregnant with a second child."

Gasps and chatter could be heard around the room again. Abby swallowed hard, her nerves on edge, knowing this next part would be the most important. She inhaled deeply and then called everyone's attention back to her by raising her hand again.

"I went to speak with Ms. Blake's son to notify him of the grave mistake and attempt to find some way to make up for his grievous loss. He was understandably angry. I offered several methods of compensation, but he informed me that there was only one type of compensation he was interested in. It appears that the illegal pregnancy for which Ms. Blake was floated was not her first. Sixteen years ago, she gave birth to another child. Mr. Blake has a sister, a girl who's been brought up in secret, and now Mr. Blake wants her legitimized."

"But others will want that same recognition!" someone in the back of the room protested. "We know there are others who haven't followed the one child rule. How do we explain to them?"

"Simple," Abby replied, "There was a very specific error here. Unless others could prove the same happened to them, there would be no reason to legitimize anyone else."

"The child should be sent to the Sky Box!" someone else spoke up.

"No," Abby said firmly, "She has done nothing wrong and, as I said, it was med bay's error that allowed her to be born in the first place. She has already maintained a solitary, isolated existence for nearly sixteen years. The child deserves some freedom."

Before anyone else could speak, Jaha stood again and said, "This has already been decided. You are here because, as department heads, we are certain you will be asked questions or will hear rumors, find dissension in your ranks. You now have the information necessary to handle any situations that arise. If there are further questions, you may ask now, but as I said, the decision has already been made."

There was further whispering among those gathered but no one had any more queries so the group was dismissed to return to their stations.

Once they were alone, Abby looked to Jaha and said, "Well, I guess that's taken care of. Now how are we going to deal with Blake's reassignment to guard Jake? Will that look suspicious or will it be more suspicious if we have his orders changed again so soon?"

Thelonious rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed in concentration. A slow smile spread across his features as he met Abby's gaze and said, "His orders will be tweaked. Part of the compensation will be his assignment to work directly for Marcus. Marcus can provide him with special assignments as he sees fit. One of those can be the special project to prepare the drop ship, where he can oversee the security of those working on the project. Including Jake."

"Excellent," Abby smiled in return. "You can speak to Marcus, then, and Marcus can speak to the Blake boy. I will update Jake."

"And keep Clarke informed," Jaha added, "Just to be sure that she realizes the stakes at play here and knows that she needs to be cautious and aware of her surroundings at all times."

Abby's smile faded as she was reminded of the trouble her daughter very nearly got them all into. She nodded, "Understood. I'll make sure she gets the message."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Bellamy was preparing for his last overnight shift on guard duty when there was a loud _BANG BANG BANG _at the door. He furrowed his brow and stepped toward it. They weren't expecting Clarke and Dr. Griffin had come by earlier. They didn't get any visitors so it unnerved him to think of who might be there now.

Cautiously, he opened the door a crack and saw that it was Shumway. He was about to open his mouth and tell the man to go to hell when, instead, Shumway shoved his way through the door. He barrelled over Bellamy, slamming the door closed behind him and stood there seething.

"If you tell anyone, ANYONE about the deal we had made, you will die. An explosion will find you while you work. You won't know when, you won't know where. And it will kill you. Do you understand?"

Shumway had lost control of the situation and Bellamy loved seeing him infuriated as he was. He smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "Why would I tell anyone? I got what I wanted without murdering anyone. As far as I'm concerned, this is a win-win for everyone."

"You may think you have a connection to the council now," Shumway glared, pointing his finger at Bellamy as he continued, "but pretty soon they're gonna forget all about you. I'm not gonna forget about you, though. So if you think you're gonna open your mouth, you'll find out that I have a lot more connections than you do and I can bide my time, be patient."

"I don't give a damn about the council," Bellamy scoffed, "I'm not a snitch."

As if Bellamy hadn't even spoken, Shumway continued, "And if threatening you isn't enough, I'll make sure your sister spends the rest of her days in the Sky Box. Until she's floated for her eighteenth birthday, just like your mom."

That was more than Bellamy could tolerate. He threw a right cross directly at Shumway's face but Shumway was faster and had come in looking for a fight. He blocked the fist, catching it mid-air, and spun it around Bellamy's back, holding it at a painful angle until he heard Bellamy's grunt of pain.

Just as Bellamy was sure something in his arm was about to snap, Shumway spun him back around and pushed him against the wall. "Be careful, boy. You're lucky I don't snap your neck right now."

With the commander's hands around his throat, Bellamy challenged through gritted teeth, "I'd like to see you try."

Shumway was about to do just that when the door opened and Octavia stepped inside. She glanced around and took in the scene just as Shumway let go of her brother and stepped back.

"Remember, not a word. Or both your lives will be made a living hell."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

That night, on his shift, Bellamy had a lot of time to sit and think in the quiet of his assigned area. He thought about Shumway, the threats the man had brought to him, Octavia finally getting to experience a 'normal' existence, and he thought about Clarke.

He couldn't understand her. Sure she'd been just as much a nuisance as she'd been a help so far but her intentions were good and she genuinely seemed to want to help them. Not only that, but she followed through on her promises. Granted, sometimes they had disastrous results but she meant well and she seemed determined to fix things when her ideas went wrong.

She was good for Octavia and, as he thought about her sitting by his side in those meetings with Jaha, Kane, and her parents, he realized she was good for him, too. He just wondered what kind of crazy experiences they might have next.


	9. Chapter 9

Over the next couple of weeks, Clarke helped Octavia acclimate to the vastness of her new environment. They explored together. Octavia helped out in med bay when Clarke was on duty. They ate meals together. They did everything together. But they hardly saw Bellamy.

Bellamy had begun his assignment as guard in the maintenance bay where the engineers and mechanics were working overtime to prepare the initial dropship to be launched. Because of the secrecy of the project, there were very few guards who were aware of what was going on and therefore that same very small number were the only ones permitted to rotate in and out of that particular area.

The long and tedious shifts made Bellamy very aware of how much he missed his sister. He was grateful that he no longer had to worry about her being discovered every moment of every single day but he did fear her adventurous spirit, especially without someone like him around to keep an eye on her and rein it in. Of course, she had Clarke with her and that was better than nothing. Still...he often wondered who was influencing whom in that relationship.

He was surprised to find that he missed Clarke, too. On the occasions that the three of them did get to sit down and have a meal together, he ended up sitting back with a smile while he just listened to everything the two girls were going on about.

It was one such occasion when Bellamy noticed Wells Jaha enter the mess hall. The two young men stared at each other for a few moments before Bellamy turned back to the girls, teasing them both while deliberately ignoring the chancellor's son.

Before long, Wells came over with a nod and smile for the girls, asking them politely whether they minded if he joined them. They looked back and forth at each other and Bellamy knew what their answer would be before they said it.

"We were just finishing up," Clarke explained apologetically.

"Yeah, and we'd stay and sit with you but we just promised Bell here that we'd walk him back to the maintenance bay for the rest of his shift," Octavia added, elbowing Clarke in the side, "Right?"

"Yeah," Clarke agreed, "With all the overtime he's been working, we haven't had the chance to annoy the crap out of him nearly enough."

Bellamy snorted and smirked in response but kept his mouth shut, shrugging at Wells with a tolerant look that seemed to say 'What can you do?'

The flare of annoyance in Wells's eyes wasn't missed by Bellamy. In fact, as he thought about the note that Wells had dared to send him, Bellamy was feeling smugly satisfied at the way this run-in was going. Especially the fact that both girls seemed to be fairly oblivious to the tension between the young men.

"Well, I guess I'll have to find you earlier next time," Wells conceded. "Mind if I take your table when you guys leave?"

"Be our guest," Octavia said generously as she stood and waited for Clarke to slide out behind her. "You ready, Bell?"

"Yeah, O," Bellamy said, "Right behind you."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

After they left, Wells was left to stew in his annoyance. He hadn't minded them leaving just as he sat down. Not really anyway. No, what bothered him was the way Clarke - HIS best friend - was looking at that guard, Bellamy. And it wasn't just the overly friendly way she teased him and nudged him as they left, it was the fact that they were leaving together. That she was following him to his duty station.

When the hell had Clarke become such a GIRL?

Of course, he still saw her plenty. They still talked, they still debated politics, science, ethics, and earth skills. They were still friends. But he was losing her more and more.

He didn't mind Octavia. In spite of her high energy and exuberant enthusiasm for adventure, her excitement was contagious. And considering the life she'd led thus far, he could make allowances for her zeal, for her lack of ability to contain herself.

But Bellamy. Bellamy rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't know why but there was something about the guy that set off every warning bell in his finely-honed instincts. He was a rebel somehow. A silent one but a rebel all the same. Wells couldn't even explain to himself how he knew that. He just did. And he was sure that somehow, some way, at some point, Clarke was going to get hurt because of him. Or worse, she'd be put in danger, or maybe even floated.

Wells knew he couldn't let that happen. He was going to have to have a little talk with Mr. Bellamy Blake. Since it seemed that his note hadn't had the impact he'd hoped for, maybe a one on one chat would do the trick. He could warn Bellamy away from Clarke and keep his dignity at the same time. Lord knew that if he were to try talking sense into Clarke herself, she'd just dig her heels in and everything would be made ten times worse.

No, the plan spinning in his head would work. It had to. And if it didn't, he'd have to take more extreme measures. Measures he didn't want to take, but then again, he'd do anything if it meant keeping Clarke safe and out of harm's way.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Bell," Octavia whined as they reached the bay doors where they'd have to leave Bellamy to go back to his shift. "I miss you. When the hell are you gonna get a break, huh? And when I say break, I mean more than just the thirty minutes you get in the mess every four hours!"

Bellamy chuckled and put Octavia in an affectionate headlock before ruffling her hair teasingly.

"Hey," he said with amusement apparent in his deep voice, "You aren't stuck under the floorboards anymore. That means you're on your own for entertainment."

This time it was Clarke's turn to chuckle aloud, grinning at the pair even as she shook her head and rolled her eyes at them. But then she became serious as she chose to join her friend's cause.

"As much of a pain as she is, she's right, you know. You're working too much. How do they expect you to be sharp and alert, prepared for anything when you can't even get your sister off your back?" The words were teasing but sober at the same time, her natural caretaker instinct shining through. "I'm worried about you, Bellamy. You hardly even get time to sleep anymore."

His brows rose and his lips twitched as he asked with a glint of humor in his dark eyes, "Since when have you been monitoring my sleep habits?"

Clarke pursed her lips and glared at him, taking the opportunity to poke him in the shoulder as she said, "Since O's been spending most of her nights with me, either in my quarters or yours."

A look of surprise crossed Bellamy's face but he quickly reined it in and shrugged, "I catch some z's whenever and wherever I'm able."

"Uh huh," Clarke rolled her eyes again but she was unable to hide the genuine concern in her voice. "Just make sure I don't see you in med bay. You'd make a terrible patient."

Octavia snorted at that, her eyes dancing as she waited for her brother's response. Watching these two volley shots back and forth at each other was a sport all of its own.

Bellamy fired a warning look at his sister then shook his head. "Fine. Between shifts I'll see what I can do about taking care of myself. Now I've got to go. I'm already late."

Pushing up on her tiptoes, Octavia gave Bellamy a spontaneous hug and said, "I'll be waiting for you at home after your shift tonight, big brother. Don't you dare disappoint me!"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Later that night while Bellamy was watching Jake, Wick, and Raven slave away at whatever it was they were working on for the dropship, he suddenly realized he wasn't alone. He felt the eyes watching the back of his head and he forced himself not to react, not to shiver as adrenaline raced through him.

Slowly, he turned to see who was there, hoping against hope that it wasn't Shumway or anyone else who might be working for or with the man. Or worse yet, whoever it was that Shumway was working for. Instead, he saw Wells.

Wells Jaha was a tall, stocky, straight-laced young man. He looked Bellamy straight in the eye with a direct, determined, narrowed, and no-nonsense gaze and worked his jaw several times before speaking.

"I tried to warn you politely, Blake, but now I'm going to tell you more openly and in person. Stay away from Clarke Griffin. I don't know what kind of game you're playing but I WILL find out. And when I do, I'm going to take you down. Both with Clarke and with the Council if need be." He paused, glaring at Bellamy Blake again, "Clarke likes you. But I think you're trouble. If you stay away from her, we won't have to find out how much."

Before Bellamy could say a word, Wells was gone again. He marched right out of the maintenance bay and had no idea that he'd given Bellamy more to think about than he'd ever really considered.

What the fuck did the guy mean by that strange little '_Clarke likes you'_? It didn't make any sense to Bellamy but even if it had, there wasn't anything he could do about it. Was there? Would he want to?

To help time pass, he let his mind wander to things he normally wouldn't allow himself to think about. He'd been with plenty of girls over the last six or seven years. Girls from Agro, Mecha, and Factory stations seemed to gravitate to the strong and silent type that he'd become out of necessity. But he never got to know any of them. Never considered a single one of them to be a friend even, much less a girlfriend.

Clarke was his sister's friend. His sister's AGE. Ok, so maybe she was his friend, too, but that was by default. If Octavia had never needed rescuing, they wouldn't have even met. It was that simple. And yet...what if the chancellor's son was right? Wells had been Clarke's best friend practically since the womb. Wouldn't he be the first to know if Clarke was feeling a certain way about someone? Would the guy feel as threatened as he did if there was no actual threat?

Bellamy wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of much of anything right then. But the one thing he did know was that Wells Jaha with his entitled attitude and overly possessive ways when it came to Clarke were getting on his nerves.

Maybe, just maybe, what the Ark's prince needed was a bit of a reality check. And if Bellamy had to find a way to spend more time with Clarke to make that happen, so be it.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

While Bellamy plotted and schemed, the workers he was supposed to be guarding were having difficulty figuring out why a certain mechanical error was happening. They'd checked and rechecked the panel that the control was attached to and could find nothing wrong. Just when they were about to call it a night and come back to it in the morning, a jolt of electricity flew through the system and sent Raven flying back away from the console.

"What the fuck?!" Wick exclaimed as he looked back and forth between the fallen mechanic and the panel that was still spraying sparks. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"I didn't do a goddamn thing!" Raven grumbled, "I swear! I was just trying to close things up and it sparked. It shouldn't have even been getting any juice anymore."

"Obviously it was," Wick responded dryly, moving to check a few plugs and switches, finally finding where a fuse had shorted out. He inspected it closely, squinting to see it better as he turned it over in his hands. "Huh."

"What?" Raven asked as she came closer after getting up and dusting herself off. "What'd you find?"

"This isn't a natural fissure," Wick remarked, "Someone tampered with it. The line's been cut."

"No way," Raven disagreed, refusing to believe what her colleague had just said, "No one even knows about this project. How and why would they try to mess with it?"

"No idea," Wick shrugged, "But take a look for yourself." He handed her the object he'd been studying and waited for her to complete her own analysis.

"Goddammit," she cursed as she studied it with a skilled and practiced eye, "You're right. This was definitely no accident. What should we do now?"

"Now we tell our trusty security guards that they need to do a better job guarding." He turned his head toward Bellamy where the young man was still oblivious to anything that had happened in the last few minutes. "And less time daydreaming."


	10. Chapter 10

The words coming from Octavia's mouth were excited and flying a mile a minute as she explained to Clarke how she'd been invited to play cards with a couple of cute guys that evening and, if she was lucky, maybe that would lead to other things, kissing things.

Clarke laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "You'd better stay out of trouble, Octavia Blake. Your brother and I have stuck our necks out pretty far to make sure you get to have this opportunity for freedom. Don't blow it!"

"Whatever, Clarke," Octavia scoffed, undeterred by her friend's mom-like lecture. "I'm not gonna miss out on a chance to have fun just because you'd rather draw maps or...or blood!"

"Maps and blood. That's all you think I know how to do?" Clarke asked, slightly offended. "I know how to have fun!" At the disbelieving look that Octavia gave her, Clarke's jaw dropped. "What?! I do!"

"Right," Octavia declared, still not sounding as if she believed Clarke. "Ok," she dared, "So prove it."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Clarke questioned.

With a grin, Octavia tossed a pillow at Clarke, said, "Figure it out!" and flounced out of the room.

After that, Clarke couldn't concentrate. She decided to see if the executive lounge was free and found Wells there watching an old film.

She flopped down on the sofa beside him, picked up a pillow, and hugged it to herself. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Wells said, bumping her with his elbow. "I've barely seen you lately. What have you been up to?"

"Hanging out, mostly," Clarke responded, "with Octavia and Bellamy."

Wells's jaw clenched and his hand fisted around the screen controller. He forced himself to breathe evenly and relax his tensed muscles before he spoke.

He paused the video and looked at the girl beside him. The girl he used to know better than he knew himself. She was slipping away from him. He didn't know when it had started or how but he was losing her. She was his best friend, the girl he'd always thought he'd end up with someday. And he was losing her. Whether it made things worse or not, he could no longer stay silent. He had to say _something_.

"What are you doing, Clarke?"

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked, clearly puzzled by his question.

"I mean with Bellamy," he replied. "He's older than you. More experienced than you, I'm sure. The more time you spend with him, the more he'll be able to hurt you and I've seen guys like him. He's going to hurt you."

Clarke openly gaped at him, too shocked to react at first. When she did find her voice, there was vitriol in it.

"What I do with who is none of your business, Wells. You're not my day planner. You're not my parent, my guardian, or my bodyguard. You're my FRIEND. But if you keep this up, you won't even be that anymore."

Pushing herself up from the couch and away from him, she stormed toward the door but his voice stopped her before she got there.

"Where are you going?" Wells asked, ignoring the fury of her words. He'd heard her angry before and she'd always come around and forgiven him in the past. As far as he was concerned, he had no reason to believe this time would be any different.

"To the Blakes'," Clarke stated as she spun back around to face him. "Octavia is out for the evening. And after this conversation with you, I'd definitely rather spend my time with Bellamy than here."

Without another word, she turned her back on him and stomped away. The truth of the matter was that she'd planned to seek out Bellamy anyway, talk to him about Octavia's challenge to her. She had an idea, one that involved a girl, a birthday, and a party, and she needed his opinion and probably his help. But Wells most definitely did NOT need to know that.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

It had taken exactly one hundred eighty-two seconds for Bellamy to realize he'd missed something. He could have kicked himself. It was such a rookie error. One he never planned to make again. It didn't matter that there was likely nothing he could have done to have prevented what had happened or that the sabotage had probably not occurred during his own shift. The damage was done while he'd been on duty and, to him, that meant it was his responsibility. He was the one who had screwed up.

He was in his quarters contemplating the things he would change during his shifts going forward when a knock sounded. He wished Octavia were there to answer it. She was the social one between the two of them. The one who had already started making a plethora of new friends thanks to her legitimacy. But it seemed that now that she was allowed her freedom to wander and explore, that was all that she did. Wander, explore, and make friends. It suited her.

With a groan and a sigh, Bellamy called out, "O's not here. Come back later."

Instead, though, the door swung open and he watched as Clarke stepped inside.

"O's not here," he repeated tiredly while she closed the door behind her.

"I know," she replied, "That's why I'm here."

Without hesitation, she came toward where he was sitting with his feet up on the bottom bunk and grabbed one of the two chairs that they owned, turning it so that she could sit down beside him.

Once she was seated, forearms resting on her knees, she said with an underlying tone of anger or annoyance in her voice, "O's off playing cards with her new friends. Wells is being an ass. And I've been told I'm no fun. So I'm here to get some advice or help or something." She paused a moment before going on. "I hear it's Octavia's birthday sometime soon."

This was definitely not what he'd expected, not that he had a clue what he had been expecting.

He studied her for a moment before he confirmed, "Yeah. It's soon."

Watching him carefully, she next said with determination, "I want to throw her a surprise party."

"And I want rations that don't leave us hungry. What of it?" he asked.

Clarke's lips twitched and her eyes lit with appreciation of his sarcasm. "I'll take care of the rations if you agree to help me with the party."

"Help you?!" he choked on an incredulous laugh. "What makes you think I'd have the first clue about party planning?"

"Not planning," Clarke corrected, "Execution. I can figure out the specifics if you can help me carry it out."

"And why exactly does she need a party?" Bellamy asked.

"Because," Clarke answered matter-of-factly, "She's never had one before. She's had to hide her existence her entire life. I figure it's time to celebrate it instead."

The words struck a chord with something deep inside Bellamy and he found himself ducking his head to hide the approving smile that he couldn't prevent. When he looked with admiration back into her eyes again, the remnants of that smile remained. He nodded, unable to keep his stoic mask in place as he said, "Okay. I'll help you."

A delighted grin spread from one side of Clarke's face to the other. "Thank you," she said in a way that let him know that her confidence in coming to him had been more bluster than bite. "When should we start planning?"

"We?" he raised and furrowed his brows in amusement, "Hold on there, princess. What happened to you planning and me executing?"

"I lied," Clarke answered, a twinkle in her blue eyes, "And don't call me princess." Then she sobered and said, "No, seriously. I have an idea. I'm just not quite sure how to carry it out."

"What's that?" Bellamy asked, surprised to find he really did want to know. He was finding out pretty quickly that Clarke was definitely good at keeping him on his toes.

"A picnic," she responded. "I want to find a way to get us into Agro Station, the gardens, let her see where most of our food comes from. Maybe even let her pick some. Have a strawberry shortcake or something. Some ice cream."

"A picnic," Bellamy repeated with a huff of astonishment. "That's an awfully tall order. Even for a princess. How do you expect me to help you pull it off?"

"I thought…" she started, then began again, "I hoped...that maybe you'd know someone who could get us into Agro." She couldn't meet his eyes anymore for some reason. She looked down and to the right as she added hastily, almost as if she were embarrassed by her admission, "I've been...pretty isolated. I...don't have many friends. Or acquaintances. At least not...not…"

"Outside the inner circle," he finished for her ironically. He shook his head in disbelief before saying, "I've been pretty isolated, too. Keeping Octavia a secret."

Their eyes met and a look of understanding, camaraderie, connection, even vulnerability passed between them.

Bellamy swallowed hard. The only thing he could hear was his heart pounding in his chest. He had no idea how long they'd been staring at each other when he cleared his throat and said awkwardly, "But I think O might have picked up a friend or two with connections to Agro. I'll see what I can do to find out."

The grateful smile he received in exchange for his words was worth the trouble it would take to get them into Agro and make her grand gesture a reality.

"I knew I could count on you," Clarke said.

The confidence that she'd faked earlier was genuine now. It warmed something inside Bellamy to hear it and know that he'd put it there. It, in fact, left him with a strange desire to give her a reason to keep speaking to him in that tone, to keep believing in him in a way that only Octavia ever had.

Instead, he pushed the sentiment aside and said gruffly, "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. You never know when I'll let you down."

He didn't really know why he'd said it but something in the way Clarke's eyes softened made him think that maybe she understood something that he didn't.

"You won't let me down, Bellamy. I know you won't."

Her simple words, full of faith and trust, brought a lump to his throat, his jaw working hard as he fought the tightness in his chest that made it hard to breathe.

He was silent as she stood and squeezed his shoulder before heading toward the door. Instead of leaving, she turned back and said, "I heard about the line being cut." She paused, meeting his eyes again, reassurance and validation in her own. "It wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done." She turned as if to leave again but then changed her mind and found his eyes once more. "You're a good guy, Bellamy Blake. I'm glad we met."

As she opened the door and disappeared from sight, Bellamy found his voice and responded in his deep baritone that seemed to echo off the walls, "Don't let that get out, princess! A man's reputation is all he's got."

A soft chuckle chimed back to him and he let his own echo it as the door closed and he was left in solitude once more.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Within minutes of Clarke storming out, Wells had looked up where the Blakes' quarters were and had wound his way there. He told himself he was just making sure that Clarke was ok. That Bellamy didn't try to pull something, hurt her in some way. But he knew it was really because he was jealous. Clarke was alone with Bellamy inside his quarters and he was jealous.

He didn't know exactly when she had gone in but the longer she was there, the angrier he got and the more his teeth ground together. As much as he refused to think of what might have been going on inside, images that he didn't want to see kept playing through his mind.

When Clarke finally came out, it took all of Wells's control to force himself to stay around the corner instead of allowing himself to storm into the Blakes' quarters and demand an explanation. He'd tried to ask nicely. He'd tried to be reasonable. With both of them. But being ignored was not something that the son of the chancellor was going to abide.

Once Clarke was out of sight, he turned the corner and pounded on the Blakes' door.

"You forget something?" a deep, masculine voice called out.

Wells opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Bellamy sprang from the bed, reaching immediately for the stun gun he'd put on the table. He had it pointed at Wells's head within one point two seconds.

"What the hell do you want?" Bellamy demanded, his voice rough with anger.

The stun gun didn't faze Wells. He didn't blink. He didn't move. But he did put his hands up rather half-heartedly.

"I want the same thing I've wanted the last two times I've communicated with you," he said. "I want you to Leave. Clarke. Alone. You're only going to hurt her."

"You're wrong," Bellamy declared vehemently, his hands steady, still on the gun that was still pointed at Wells. "You don't know her as well as you think you do. She can make her own choices. And like it or not, she's chosen to be friends with me." He was breathing hard, nostrils flared, barely controlled fire in his eyes. "So unless she tells me herself that she doesn't want anything more to do with me, I'm not going anywhere."

Now it was Wells's turn to be angry. But he was better at controlling himself than Bellamy was. "Then know that wherever you go, whatever you do, I'll be watching you. And the first misstep that you take, you'll be dropped down to janitor. Your rations will be cut in half. I'll make your life miserable."

Bellamy huffed a disbelieving laugh and shook his head. "As if my life has been anything but miserable up till now." He let that sink in a moment then added, "You can find your own way out."

Wells glared at Bellamy stubbornly, letting him know that he wasn't backing down. Then he turned and exited the same way he'd arrived: with a righteous fury and a slam of the door.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Oblivious to everything that had been going on in her own quarters, Octavia was laughing joyously as she played cards and smoked something her new friends had called 'Mary Jane'.

She'd met Jasper and Monty while she'd been helping Clarke in med bay. They'd singed their arm hairs and eyebrows while creating some concoction that had blown up in their faces. Literally. They'd been funny and entertaining and offered a new perspective on life from a different station of the Ark. When they'd invited her to join them for their next experiment, she'd jumped at the opportunity.

Now here she sat, feeling lightheaded and more relaxed than she'd ever felt in her life and all she wanted was more. More time, more space, more friends, more experiences, more adventures. More of everything. More life. After the claustrophobic life she'd lived for nearly sixteen years, she was greedy for every bit of good that she could get her hands on.

So when she was offered the joint again, she took it with a grin, leaned over, and kissed Jasper square on the lips before pulling Monty in for a tight squeeze. She ruffled his hair fondly and said with a contented sigh, "You guys are the best. I think I might love you."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Shumway and the council were at a standstill and Shumway's boss wasn't happy about it. They had, of course, gotten through the Ark's defenses enough to put a kink in the preparations of the dropship but that wouldn't be enough. In fact, if anything, they would now have more work to keep their movements, their actions, their motives from being recognized.

They would need to plan something bigger. Something that would allow them to not only take down Jake Griffin but Jaha and Kane as well.


End file.
